Three Dimensional Tale
by AnathTheGODDESS
Summary: A woman awakens in Duncan's office with no clue as to how she got there and totally confused as to what the heck is going on. COMPLETED
1. Prologue

I'm adding my notes here as Fanfic removed that chapter which I don't understand. I've recently read other stories that have notes from authors as a whole chapter and they've never been removed. The reason I put my notes separately is I felt that would detract from the Prologue.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I wrote this story a few years ago and, after some gentle goading, decided to post it. It's my first and only attempt (so far) at fan fiction. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer:

The characters of Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan, Joe Dawson, and Methos/Adam Pierson do not belong to me. They are the property Panzer/Davis Productions. I am only borrowing them for a bit of fun. I am not making any profit from them nor do I intend to. The same applies to the other well-known people/characters I use in my story, along with a certain TV show I mention.

However, the characters Anna McGowan (named for my grandmother), Kevin Corrigan, Nelson "Sonny" Grey, Margaret Grey, Dr. Malachi Mitchell/Thaddeus Blake, and Lynette Quinlan are my creations. Please do not use them without my permission.

Helpful Information:

The date of October 31st was selected for a specific reason. Most sources believe the origins of Halloween date back over 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in); however, other sources believe this festival dates back to the 5th century BC. Samhain was _the feast of the dead_. The Celts believed that, every year on the last day of October, the souls of the dead visited the earth in order to cause trouble, damage crops, and to make it easier for the Druids to make predictions about the future. Another version says the Celts believed the dead came back in search of living bodies to possess as it was their only hope for the afterlife.

* * *

**PROLOGUE **

He sat at the console watching the two women on the monitors. Well, he really wasn't watching the one on the left. He thought she was a lifeless little twit. It was the woman on the right who held his attention. He remembered the first time he laid eyes on her. He was in this very room trying to familiarize himself with the controls and viewing the different scenes that emanated from the screens. One scene was of an elegant party full of all the beautiful people. It was then that she appeared wearing an emerald green dress which accented the green of her eyes and the curves of her svelte body. Her long, dark auburn hair seemed to flow down her back. He was drawn to her, but he never understood why. _It's not like she's gorgeous or anything - attractive would be a better word for her. So why do I find her so captivating? _It was because this woman possessed such a sensuous aura that even in a room full of beautiful women she would stand out. But the reason didn't matter to him. From that very moment he knew he had to possess her.

_It'll be easy to do, _he thought. _No woman has ever been able to resist my charms and dashing good looks. _And it was true about the looks. He was the All-American type with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and athletic physique.

He devised a plan so that he could be near her, and for a while it worked. But, much to his dismay, that plan was eventually thwarted. _Well, at least for the moment. I will not be denied what is rightfully mine. _So he set about formulating a new plan and it was just about ready. _It won't be long now, my sweet, _he said to the woman on the monitor, _before we're together again._


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Anna unloaded the last box from her Cherokee and took it inside. She was tired and looked it. She absently pushed the stray curls of her auburn hair back into their silver clasp. The drive from Los Angeles was long, but she really needed the time alone. To say the last six years of her life had been difficult would be an understatement. Oh, there had been good times of course, but there had been a lot of pain and misery. Now she was starting over with a new place to call home courtesy of Jim Wentworth, a good friend who passed away six months ago. But before he died, he had given her foundation a warehouse in Seattle as well as $500,000. With this generous donation, she felt she was being giving a new lease on life. It was hard to leave LA - her friends, a home she had remodeled, the children she had grown to love - but she knew it was for the best. It was time to break free of the past and let it go.  
She had arrived in Seattle a few hours before, just after 7pm, and went straight to the warehouse. It was very large and she had been working on plans to convert it into a recreational center for children. She surveyed the structure, her mind filled with endless possibilities. Where others saw only a dusty old building, Anna saw a haven for all of the children in need. She knew all it took was vision and elbow grease, and she had no shortage of either.  
There was a small outer building which she had converted into her office. It would be the base of operations for the foundation in Seattle for the time being. Eventually, when the project was completed, Seattle would become the new headquarters for the CRADLE Foundation - her baby - with offices in Los Angeles and New York.  
Anna had started the foundation over ten years ago as a way to pay back all the gifts God had given her. It's goal was to help children in any way it could, because they were our future. There was nothing that could compare with the smiles of the children she helped. Even with all the grief that she endured because of her work, she never thought of giving it up. To her, the pain was worth it.  
Now, as Anna carried the last box into the office, she felt at home. She sat down on a nearby box and stretched her long legs before her. _God, a nice hot bath would feel so good about now_, she sighed. She looked longingly at the bathroom she had installed, but knew it wouldn't be possible. There was just too much to do. She had to get her "home" in order. Anna planned to live there until she found a house. However, it wouldn't bother her. She had grown accustomed to living out of her offices in LA. Although she owned a home, lately she had spent very little time there. Despite the fact that she loved that house and had spent many hours restoring it, it held too many painful memories. As much as she hated to part with it, it too was part of a past that she had to let go. She would return to LA next week for the closing.  
_The closing_, she thought to herself. _What an apt word. The closing on that part of my life. And now a new beginning. Speaking of beginning, I had better get started clearing some of these boxes and put them in order, so I'll be ready to begin in the morning.   
_ It was almost 2am when she finished. She was used to long hours, so working this late into the night was quite natural for her. But for some reason, she was totally exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. So she crawled onto the sofa and drifted off into sleep, her fantasy soak in the tub completely forgotten.

Anna was awakened the next morning by a hand shaking her and a voice that said, "Hey, wake up. WAKE UP!"  
"Okay, okay, I'm awake. Jeez. You're worse than my assistant, whoever you are." Anna looked up in a sleepy gaze. Her face, still softened by sleep, was almost hidden beneath a wild tangle of auburn curls. She stretched her lithe figure luxuriously as she brushed the mass of hair away. Her emerald green eyes widened at the sight before her. A man in his mid-thirties, about six feet in height, with hazel eyes and long black hair pulled back in a ponytail stood over her. Even beneath his blue sweater and jeans, she could tell he had a powerful build. He was quite handsome and Anna felt emotions stir in her that she hadn't felt in a long time. "So, who are you? And what are you doing here?"  
"I might ask you the same questions," was his answer. He was studying her and she could tell he liked what he saw.  
"Sorry, but I asked first."  
"I'm Duncan MacLeod and this is my office. Now will you tell me who you are?"  
"I'm Anna, Anna McGowan. What do you mean - your office? I hate to tell you this, but this is my...." Anna stopped talking as she looked around, a puzzled look forming on her face. This clearly wasn't her office. Throwing her blanket off, she stood up and walked around the room. Where was everything? She walked to the window - her jeep was gone too. "What the...? Okay, I get it. This is a joke. Who put you up to it? Eric? Reg? Richie?" she said as she turned back to face Duncan.  
"Someone call my name?" Another face appeared in the doorway. This time, it was a young man about twenty years old wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He was slightly shorter than MacLeod with short, curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Well-built. Kinda cute for a kid. "Morning Mac. And who's this charming lady?"  
"Richie, this is Anna McGowan. Anna, Richie Ryan," Duncan said.  
"Pleased to meet you Richie," Anna said, shaking Richie's hand.  
"Likewise," Richie responded, noticing the blanket on the sofa. Turning to Duncan with a mischievous grin on his face, he continued, "Uh, Mac, why was she sleeping down here on your sofa? You have a lover's quarrel?"  
"NO, we did not have a lover's quarrel," Duncan replied defensively. "I found her sleeping here this morning for some unknown reason."  
"Unknown reason," Anna said softly, almost as a question. Anna knew that he was telling the truth. It was one of her many talents - she could tell by the sound of someone's voice whether they were lying to her. Duncan MacLeod didn't know anymore than she did as to just why she was there. "I'm sorry. What did you just say?" she asked when she realized Duncan was speaking to her.  
"I asked you how you got in here and why were you sleeping on my sofa?" Duncan responded in a demanding tone.  
""Your guess is as good as mine," she said brusquely. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. I guess this has just got me a little unnerved. I'm mean, how would you feel if you went to bed and woke up in a strange place, not knowing where you were or who these strange men are?"  
"I can understand it. Can't you, Mac?" Richie chimed in.  
Duncan softened, "I guess I can. So where exactly is this office of yours?"  
"It's the old Wentworth Shoe Warehouse over on Hill Avenue. A friend of mine left it to my foundation and I was going to renovate it."  
"Wentworth Shoe Warehouse. Never heard of it. Where exactly on Hill Avenue is it located.?" Duncan asked.  
"It's between Avery Road and Pierpoint Street," was her answer.  
"That's the old Bartok brewery," Richie said.  
"You must be thinking of another building," she said. "This belonged to Jim Wentworth, hence the name Wentworth Warehouse."  
"Hey, I've lived here all my life," Richie told her. "I grew up in that area. I know it by heart. There is only one building located there and that's the Bartok brewery."  
"Well, maybe I got my streets mixed up. I just know what I know. Oh man, look at the time. I got to go. Can I use your phone to call a cab? Seems my jeep didn't make the journey with me."  
"Better yet, why don't I just give you a ride there?" Duncan said.  
"No, I don't want to inconvenience you any more than I have. It's obvious you have a business of your own to run, so I'll just catch a cab and get out of your way."  
"It's no problem. Richie will look after the place while I'm gone. My car's out front." But he didn't fool her for a minute. Anna knew Duncan wasn't about to let her out of his sight. At least, not until he discovered exactly who she was and how she managed to get into his dojo. She wanted to know the answer to that last question herself.  
They left the dojo and headed for Hill Avenue in Duncan's black T- bird. Once there, Anna gave Duncan directions to get to the warehouse. When they arrived at their destination, Anna got out of the car, totally perplexed by what she saw. "I don't understand it. This wasn't here yesterday. My warehouse was here," she said as Duncan walked up and stood beside her. "What the hell's going on here?"  
It was then she felt it, just as she always did when danger was at hand - that sense of foreboding. She looked around, searching for it. As she did, she noticed a look on Duncan's face. It was as if he felt the same thing. Strange. She continued looking until she saw him. _No, it can't be. He's dead. He died over a year ago. At least, that's what they told me. Those LYING BASTARDS. How could they do this to me? _She started to walk towards him when Duncan grabbed her arm. "I think it would be better if you stayed here," he said.  
"I don't think so," Anna replied defiantly, pulling her arm away.  
"I do think so. STAY HERE!" Duncan commanded.  
"NO ONE is going to keep me from that sick bastard," she said vehemently. "I'll have his bloody little head on a platter." She saw Duncan wince at her last statement. _Why_? she thought. _Well, I don't have time to worry about that now. I have to capture that 'creature'_. At that moment, she knew HE was gone. "Dammit, he got away." Anna noticed Duncan was eyeing her suspiciously.  
"What did you mean by having his head on a platter?" he asked.  
"What do you think I meant?" she said incredulously. "It's just an expression. Jeez."  
"Listen to me, Anna. Stay away from him. He's a very dangerous person and I don't want to see you hurt, maybe even killed."  
"Mind your own business, MacLeod. I can take care of myself."  
"You can take care of yourself? Yeah, right."  
"Oh you'd be surprised, Mister. Now butt out." Anna turned away from Duncan and stopped dead in her tracks. On the billboard across the street was an advertisement for a well-known restaurant chain. It was inviting people to visit any one of it's five locations in the city. Now Anna was really confused. "Seacouver. Where the hell is Seacouver? There's no such place."  
"What do you mean, there's no such place? This is the city of Seacouver."  
Anna just looked at him, totally bewildered. What the hell was going on? 


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
Anna sat on the rooftop, meditating. She had been reflecting on everything that had happened to her since she had awakened that morning, particularly concentrating on the events which had transpired since they had left the warehouse. She remembered the look of concern on Duncan's face and knew he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. As he opened the car door for her, he realized Anna hadn't eaten breakfast and suggested they stop somewhere. She said she really wasn't hungry, but he insisted. He headed for a little outdoor restaurant near the harbor which she guessed he must frequent by the way the owner fussed over him. They were shown to a table with a lovely view of the mountains. As she sat there, she realized that she was glad Duncan had brought her here as she found the combination of the warm sun and the breeze off the Sound very soothing. The waiter came to take their order which wasn't much - coffee for Duncan, a double order of strawberries and a croissant for Anna. They made small talk until the waiter brought their order.  
"That's all you're going to eat?" he asked, eyeing her trim figure.  
"Yeah," she responded. "You have a problem with that?"  
"Well, it's not very much. You really should eat something a little more substantial."  
"Okay, Mother. I am a big girl now. I know how to look after myself and what I need."  
Duncan smiled. "So that man in the alley, how do you know him?"  
"I could ask you the same thing."  
"Well, as you said earlier, I asked first."  
"Touché, Mister MacLeod. It's personal. _Very personal_. And you?"  
"Same. So it looks as if we're at a stalemate. Why don't we move on to another subject?"  
"Like what, as if I didn't already know?" Anna said as the waiter brought her order.  
"Why don't we go over your story again? Maybe you missed something."  
"We went over my story in the car on the way here. I've told you everything that happened to me since I arrived in Seattle, Seacouver, or whatever the hell the name of this place is," she said, clearly exasperated. "I have a photographic memory, my dear sir. I can assure you I have left nothing out. So for the time being, the subject is closed. Next subject. Oh, I know," she said caustically, "why don't we discuss YOU? I'm sure you're quite a fascinating man." She paused and bit her lip. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I know you're only trying to help. It's just this whole thing coupled with some recent events in my life have made me a little touchy."  
"What events?" he asked.  
"Oh, just things that have happened," Anna said, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "I'm really not comfortable discussing these matters with someone I just met. No offense."  
"None taken. But if you should ever need to talk, I'm here."  
"Thanks, Duncan. Are you always this nice to people you've just met?"  
"Only the ones I find sleeping in my office," he said with a grin. "Shall we get out of here, then....if you've finished eating, that is?"  
"Finished," she responded. They left the restaurant and drove downtown. Anna recognized not only a few of Seattle's famous landmarks - Space Needle, Pike's Market, the pier - but some of Vancouver's landmarks as well - Stanley Park, Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Gardens and the Omni Center. Come to think of it, the area where Duncan lived reminded her of Gastown. _Why were these landmarks all in one city and why did they now have different names?_ She decided not to mention these little questions she had - not until she knew him better. There was something different about Duncan MacLeod and she was determined to find out what it was.  
The next place they stopped was a bar called Joe's. Duncan told her he needed to speak to his friend about business. Anna knew he was lying, but decided to play along. Duncan opened the door and they went inside. It was dimly lit, as most bars are, and the sound of the blues was emanating from somewhere. Behind the bar stood a man about fifty years old with gray hair, blue eyes, and a salt and pepper beard. A warm smile greeted his guests.  
"Hey Mac, good to see you," Joe said as Duncan and Anna sat down at the bar. "And who is this lovely lady?"  
"Joe, I'd like you to meet Anna McGowan. Anna, Joe Dawson."  
"Nice to meet you, Joe," Anne said.  
"The pleasure is all mine. So what can I get you?"  
"Ginger ale, if it's not too much trouble," Anna replied.  
"Not at all," he said as he fixed her a drink. "Mac, you want anything?"  
"Just to talk - privately," Duncan told him. "Would you excuse us, Anna?"  
"Sure, no problem," she said. She picked up her drink, walked over to a table and sat down, keeping her ears open. Unbeknownst to them, she had another unusual talent - incredible hearing. Having her around, you didn't need surveillance equipment. So she listened in on their conversation. She heard Duncan tell Joe about finding her in his office and going to the warehouse. Duncan then said, "I saw Kevin Corrigan there."  
"Kevin Corrigan's in town? Oh, man. That's one nasty S.O.B. You gonna...."  
"That's the plan," Duncan said, and then he looked in the direction of Anna. "Need you to do something for me. I want you to do some checking on her. She knows Corrigan. I want to know what that's about."  
"Why don't you ask her?" Joe asked.  
"I did. She won't say. But she did tell me she's from LA and she runs a foundation for kids called CRADLE. She said that someone named Jim Wentworth left her a warehouse here. Apparently, he was a shoe tycoon. That's about all I know."  
"Well, I'll see what I can't find out for you and call you later."  
"Thanks, Joe." Duncan got up and walked over to Anna, "Come on. Let's go." With that, they left the bar, got into Duncan's car, and drove away.  
Duncan parked the car in front of a woman's clothing store. He got out of the car, walked around to the other side, and opened the door for her.  
"What are we doing here?" she asked.  
"I thought maybe you would like to buy a change of clothes," he explained.  
"If you remember correctly, dear boy, I don't have any money. I left my billfold, keys, etc. on my desk back at my office which, of course, doesn't exist anymore according to this nightmare I have awakened into. It's kind of hard to buy clothes without money. Stores are funny about things like that," she said dryly.  
"It's my treat. Come on, out of the car. And don't look at me like that. If you're worried about me paying for it, don't. After all, I can't very well be seen with you dressed that way," he said with a mischievous grin on his face. "It's embarrassing. Your clothes look as if you've slept in them."  
"Ha. Ha. Very funny." They entered the store and Anna looked around. She selected three pairs of jeans, a couple of light weight sweaters, and a shirt. Duncan suggested a couple of dressier outfits, to which Anna just gave him an incredulous look and said, "Oh, paleeese."  
They left the store and returned to the dojo. When they entered, Anna noticed the same look on Duncan's face that she had seen at the warehouse earlier. She also noticed that the place was somewhat busier. Richie came out of the office and walked towards them. "So Mac, what happened?"  
"What do you think happened?" Anna responded, obviously displeased. She hated being wrong.  
"I think we ought to discuss this upstairs," Duncan added. They headed to the elevator and up to the loft. When they reached the top, Duncan opened the gate and stepped out followed by Anna and Richie. Anna quickly surveyed her surroundings, basically out of habit. She always found it was best to know the "lay of the land" just in case.  
It was definitely an expanse with a masculine decor. Directly in front of her was the living room which consisted of a dark green leather sofa, a large square coffee table with an antique chess set on it, and two high back chairs. Off to the right, she saw a metal shelving unit with a CD shelf system. To the left sat an antique table, which Duncan apparently used as a desk, and behind that was an oak armoire. Situated at the far end of the room was a king size bed with a large wall tapestry hanging above it. To the right of that, a spiral staircase which led to the roof. Finally, on Anna's immediate right, was the kitchen which consisted of an island with a sink, stove top, and two stools in front of it. Up against the back wall were the cabinets and the refrigerator.  
"Nice place, MacLeod. Never would have guessed you'd have such excellent taste."  
"Thank you, I think," he said.  
"So, what happened?" Richie asked again.  
"You know perfectly well what happened. And quit looking like the Cheshire cat," Anna replied. "Yes, you -- looking so pleased with yourself." Anna began to wander around the loft in order to get better acquainted with it and its occupant. "My warehouse wasn't there. Your brewery was. Happy now."  
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that," Richie told her. She responded with a look of total disbelief. Richie just continued to grin.  
Anna continued to wander. She came upon some photographs. Duncan with a beautiful blonde woman. Duncan and Richie. Duncan and a black man. Duncan and... "I didn't know you knew Roger?" she asked, looking over towards him.  
"Roger who?" Duncan asked, walking over to see which picture she was looking at. "That's not Roger," he told her, a look of sadness on his face. "That was my friend, Fitz. Hugh Fitzcairn."  
"Oh I'm sorry," Anna said sympathetically. "But I swear he could pass for Roger Daltrey's twin. The resemblance is amazing."  
"Roger Daltrey? You mean as in Roger Daltrey of The Who?" Richie asked. "I don't think he looks anything like Daltrey."  
"How can you say that?" queried Anna. "He's identical to him."  
"Listen, I've been a fan of the Who for years and I also knew Fitz. I'm telling you they don't look anything alike," Richie told her. "Here I'll prove it to you." Richie walked over to Duncan's CD collection.  
"What are you doing?" asked Duncan.  
"Well Mac, while you were gone last week, I sort of used your CD player. Mine was broken. I hope you don't mind."  
"Oh no. Why should I mind?" Duncan said sarcastically. "Any time Richie, any time."  
Richie looked through the CDs and found what he was looking for. He walked back to Anna and handed her the CD. It was a Who CD but she didn't recognize any of the men on the cover. "See," said Richie, pointing to the man in the middle, "that's Roger Daltrey."  
"This isn't the Who and that isn't Roger Daltrey. I should know. He is one of my best friends. He's been to my house and I've been to his." She looked at both of them totally perplexed. This was as confusing as the warehouse. "I don't understand all this. What is going on?"  
Duncan walked over and put his arms around her, giving her a small hug. "I don't know, Anna," replied Duncan in a reassuring tone. "But we'll find out. Now why don't you go take a nice hot shower and put on your new clothes. It will make you feel a whole lot better. Then, we'll sit down and try to figure this whole thing out."  
Anna agreed as she knew he was right about the shower and the clothes. But he didn't fool her for a moment. He was going to discuss seeing HIM near the brewery with Richie and probably even make a few phone calls about her. Anna was a lot smarter than either of them could possibly imagine. She liked that advantage. She smiled as she closed the bathroom door.  
  
When Anna had closed the door, Richie asked Duncan, "So what exactly happened? I have the feeling it's something more than Anna finding the brewery and not the warehouse."  
"There was one of us there. A man by the name of Kevin Corrigan," Duncan said with an obvious note of disgust in his voice.  
"I take it you know the guy."  
"We've met. I think Anna has met him too," Duncan told him, "which is why I don't think his being there was an accident. I think he was there waiting for her."  
"Oh man. What are you...?" Richie started to ask just as the phone rang. Duncan walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello," he said. "Duncan MacLeod." Richie signaled that he was going back downstairs and would talk to him later. "Joe, that was quick. What did you find out?"  
"About Anna? Still checking. But I thought you ought to know -- just got word that Kevin Corrigan's watcher was found dead. Throat was slit. That's the third one in the last eighteen months."  
"Third one? You mean, Corrigan knows about the Watchers?"  
"Apparently so. It's going to be hard to find a new Watcher for him. Seems no one is crazy to take the assignment."  
"Well maybe you won't need to."  
"Be careful, Mac."  
  



	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
  
Anna showered and changed quickly which, with her busy schedule, she was accustomed to doing. She emerged from the bathroom approximately 15 minutes later dressed in jeans and a light blue denim shirt. Richie was nowhere to be seen, probably had returned to the dojo downstairs. When he saw her, Duncan hastily finished his phone conversation.  
"Yeah, get back to me as soon as you can, Joe. I got to go." Anna could tell he hadn't expected her to reappear so soon. She smiled. "That was quick."  
"Habit," she replied. "So, was that your bartender friend on the phone?"  
"Yes, it was." Duncan made it clear by the tone of his voice that he had nothing more to say about it.  
"Oh," was all she said. She knew that call had something to do with either her or HIM, maybe both.  
"Why don't we sit here on the couch and just talk about what's happened. We just might be able to figure out what's going on."  
"Actually, I would just like to go somewhere and think things through by myself. In fact, I need to."  
"I don't think that would be such a good idea. Besides, as the old saying goes, 'Two heads are better than one'."  
"Relax, Duncan. I'm not going to escape. I promise. I just need to be by myself for awhile. I noticed your staircase over there. Usually, whenever I had a problem and needed to think, I headed for the mountains. But sometimes that wasn't possible, so I opted for a rooftop. So with your permission...." Duncan grudgingly approved.  
And so there she sat. It had been over an hour since she had come up here. As always, it helped. She had thought everything over and came to a conclusion. She didn't particularly care for it, but it was the only logical answer. She knew Duncan wouldn't believe her nor would he allow her to face HIM. She knew what she had to do. It was then that Duncan sat down beside her.  
"Come to any conclusions?" he asked.  
"A few. A few." she replied.  
"So...," he said as he nudged her, a grin on his face.  
"Well, I figure it's one of two things. One is I never really woke up - I'm dreaming all this. Two is I'm having a massive psychological meltdown from...well, I'm just imaging all this," she responded. Then with a smile she added, "Of course, there's always the theory that I've crossed over into the _Twilight Zone_ and Rod Serling is going to show up at any moment."  
"_The Twilight Zone_?," Duncan asked with a laugh.  
"Yeah, the _Twilight Zone_," she said, switching to a bad imitation of Rod Serling, "I've entered into another dimension in time and space."  
Duncan chuckled. "Well, I don't think you are dreaming or imaging it. I think you're just a little confused. Come on," he said as he stood up and offered her a hand, "let's go inside."  
Anna took Duncan's hand and stood up. "I'm not confused. Well, just a little. And that's only because I don't have all the facts." They walked towards the door and went inside. Half way down the stairs, Duncan stopped and looked around. _There he goes again_, Anna thought to herself. _Gotta find out what that's all about. Doesn't look too happy either._ She looked towards the kitchen where she saw Richie and Joe with yet another man. He was tall and lanky, with short brown hair and brown eyes. Appeared to be in his early thirties. They had been talking, but stopped suddenly as both Richie and the stranger turned in their direction. Joe followed suit and looked as well. Duncan continued down the stairs, followed by Anna.  
"So, Adam, what are you doing here?" Duncan inquired.  
"I was just in the area and thought I'd stop by," he replied. Anna knew that it was a blatant lie. Joe probably brought him along for some reason. "So, are you going to introduce us?"  
"Sorry. This is Anna McGowan. Anna, I'd like you to meet Adam Pierson." Anna took Adam's hand and shook it. She knew that Duncan had lied about this man's name, but why? It was then she had caught something in his eyes, so she decided to look more closely. It was another one of her talents - the ability to look into someone's eyes and know what makes them tick. _My God!_ she thought. _How can this be? He's over 5000 years old. He's immortal. He can't die unless you.... Oh boy. He can't die unless you cut off his head. Were the others immortal too?_ she wondered. She decided to find out, but knew she'd have to be careful about it and not arouse suspicion.  
"Would you like me to leave so you can discuss me? I can always head back up onto the roof." She casually looked around at the other men in the group, grinning impishly. This way she could look at each one in the group without them knowing she was studying them. Joe was mortal, but Duncan and Richie were immortal, with Duncan being over 400 years old. Apparently, Richie was new to immortality as he was about his same age. _Why didn't I notice this before? Probably because I've been thrown off-balance by all of this and haven't been concentrating properly. I'll just have to focus my mind and quit being so sloppy._ If anything, this development confirmed what she had suspected -- she really had crossed into another dimension. "Personally, I would like to know just what you found out about me."  
"My, what an ego," Duncan said, trying to sound amazed. "Like we would have nothing better to do than discuss you. But if you wouldn't mind, we do have some other matters to discuss."  
"Yeah, right. And I'm the Jolly Green Giant," Anna retorted. "Okay, I'll just sit over on the sofa and read the paper, if that's all right with you."  
"Sure, be my guest."  
Anna walked over and sat down on the sofa, picking up the paper. It would be good cover in hiding the fact that she was listening in on their conversation. She couldn't wait to hear just what 'little tidbits of information' Joe had discovered about her. _Can't be much as I don't exist here. Still, I probably do have a counterpart here...it will be interesting to find out about her. I'm also rather curious as to what they plan to do.  
_ "Well, I did some checking. I couldn't find an Anna McGowan in the LA area, or any Foundation. However, I did find several other Anna McGowans -- in Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Denver, and the last one in Philadelphia. All of them are accounted for. So Methos and I sat down at the computer to see what we could come up with. I gave him a description of her and he created a sketch. We sent it out over the web and waited to see what would happen. We got a response. It seems that a missing persons report has been filed on one Margaret Grey, a hairstylist from Great Neck, NY. Anna appears to match the description. According to the report, she snuck out of the house two nights ago and disappeared. It looks as though they're very worried because she has a history of mental problems."  
"Oh, great," Richie said. "We've got a nut case on our hands."  
"Richie, we don't know that she's a nut case," chastised Duncan. "We aren't even certain Anna and Margaret are the same person."  
_Thank you Duncan_, Anna thought. _Nice to know someone's on my side.  
_ "Come on, Mac, how can you say that?" the kid asked. "Especially after what she said earlier about Fitz's picture?"  
Puzzled, Joe asked, "What about Fitz's picture?"  
"When she saw his picture, she thought he was Roger Daltrey," Richie explained. "In fact, she insisted he was and that they were very good friends. I mean, she really believed it. If that's not crazy, then I don't know what is."  
"I will admit that it was rather strange behavior," the Scot replied, "but it still doesn't mean she's Margaret Grey."  
_So much for my knight in shining armor. Now he thinks I'm crazy too!  
_ "So what do you want to do about it?" Joe asked.  
"I think you should do a little more digging, see what else you can find out. While you're doing that, the three of us can keep her occupied. And if it turns out she is Margaret, I'll confront her with it."  
Adam disagreed. "I don't think so. If it turns out she is Margaret Grey, then she's most certainly in a delusional state. She would just deny it. It could also trigger a psychotic episode. No, I think your best bet is just to play along with her. In the meantime, we would contact her family."  
"Methos, the psychiatrist. What did you do - study under Freud?" asked an amused Duncan.  
"Well, you do tend to pick up a few things MacLeod when you've been around as long as I have."  
_Adam's name is Methos. Makes more_.... Just then something in the paper caught Anna's eye. It was a picture of Eric Clapton, only the caption read 'Garrett Page - Country Western's Living Legend." He had given a concert the night before at the City Auditorium. He performed some of his biggest hits - "Achy, Breaky Heart," "Friends in Low Places," "Lookin' for Love," and his biggest hit, "On the Road Again." The critic said that Page, a fair guitar player, was the consummate showman who had who had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his very first song "All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over Tonight." Anna began to laugh. _Oh my god, he's a country western singer in this world. And only a fair guitarist to boot.  
_ "What's so funny?" Duncan asked.  
"Nothing really. Just one of the comic strips struck me as amusing" which seemed to satisfy them. This didn't surprise her as they thought she was mentally unbalanced. _Oh boy, this is going to be fun,_ she thought sarcastically.  
  
The rest of the day went just as she had expected. Joe said he had to get back as he had a bar to run, although Anna knew it was also to continue his research of her...well, not her, but Margaret....and to contact Margaret's family. Duncan fixed a light lunch for everyone, then suggested they check out the Greek exhibit at the museum. Richie declined saying he had a dojo to manage. _Not a bad excuse kid_, Anna thought as she understood his reluctance to accompany them. She could tell it was a combination of avoiding someone he believed was a nut case and what he considered a boring outing. So that just left Duncan and Methos. Sorry...Adam. She expected Adam to come up with an excuse, but he surprised her by agreeing to go. She figured his curiosity must have gotten the best of him. _Or maybe he just wants to take a trip down memory lane,_ she thought to herself with a grin.  
When they arrived at the museum, it wasn't very crowded which wasn't surprising since it was a weekday afternoon. The exhibit was very interesting and Anna was enjoying herself immensely. It was the first time in years she had attended something that didn't involve fundraising or entertaining a child. Not that she minded those outings. She loved being with the children and raising money for them was a necessity as well as a pleasure. It was nice just to be able to relax and relish this undemanding interval.  
Of course, Adam/Methos was the perfect guide, injecting a little unknown fact or story about different pieces. At one point, Anna walked slightly ahead of them to a black figured lip-cup with an ancient Greek inscription on it. She began to translate it, "Hermogenes Made me." Methos was astounded. "How did you know what it said?"  
Anna said with an impish grin, "Just lucky, I guess." She then turned and continued on to the next piece, clearly indicating that she had nothing more to say on the matter.  
Methos whispered to Duncan, "Tell me MacLeod, if she is this hairstylist from New York, how in the hell is she able to translate ancient Greek?" Anna smiled when she heard that.  
  



	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
The trio returned to the dojo a little before six. Richie was nowhere to be seen, which didn't surprise Anna, but it didn't please MacLeod either. "What's wrong with you?" she asked Duncan, who was walking to the elevator ahead of them.  
"Oh, I thought Richie might still be around," he replied as he stopped and opened the gate.  
A wicked grin briefly crossed Anna's face. "Relax, Duncan," she said, patting him on the stomach as she walked by him. "Kid's just out having some fun. Probably had a hot date. And I, for one, would not deny anyone the chance to get lucky." She was trying hard to keep from laughing, but when Duncan gave her a disapproving look, she just had to chuckle. She looked over at Methos and saw he was grinning as well.  
They made their way to the loft and, once upstairs, Methos headed straight to the refrigerator for a beer. He was followed by Duncan and Anna. "Would you care for one?" he asked to no one in particular.  
"Nice of you to offer me my own beer, Adam," came the sarcastic reply. Duncan took the beer from Methos, who just grinned. "Thanks. Anna, would you care for one?"  
"No thanks, but I will have some juice if you've got it," she said.  
"Coming right up," Methos said as he grabbed her a bottle of juice and handed it to her.  
"So Adam, would you like to stay for dinner?" Duncan asked.  
"What are you having? Oh, wait a minute. Let me guess. Hmmmm," Methos said tapping his finger on his chin, teasing the Scot, "could it be pasta?"  
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Duncan said rather sardonically. "So, are you going to stay?"  
"Sure, I'd loved to stay."  
_Such subterfuge!_ she thought. _Like I really would believe he intended to leave this early. He's too curious about me to want to go just yet._ She smiled at them both and said how nice it was that 'Adam' could stay for dinner.  
Duncan began moving about the kitchen preparing their feast. He asked Anna if she would get the fettuccini out of the cabinet. She searched the cabinet, but was totally at a loss. "I don't see it," she said. Duncan walked over and pulled the package out of the cabinet. "So that's what it looks like uncooked." Duncan gave her a skeptical look. "Don't look at me like that. I've never spent much time in the kitchen. My schedule didn't permit it."  
"And what kind of schedule would that be?" asked Methos.  
"A very busy one," was her jocose reply. "If you want to go on a fishing expedition, you'd better learn how to cast a line." Duncan just grinned at Methos and continued preparing dinner. Anna could tell he enjoyed playing the role of Chef. And from the aroma which drifted from the pans, he was good at it too.  
They chatted about various subjects while Duncan cooked their meal. The object of this little tete-to-tete was to learn as much about each other without actually asking direct questions. Of course, Anna was extremely careful about what information she did impart to them and feigned ignorance on several topics. But then again, Duncan and Methos weren't exactly forthcoming either. Anna realized that it was one of the most peculiar conversations she had ever been involved in.  
The meal was delicious and she praised the chef for his expertise. Duncan acted very modest about it, but she could tell that secretly he was delighted. Afterwards, Duncan and Methos did the dishes, leaving Anna to wander about the loft once again. She stopped to admire the beautiful tapestry on the wall above the bed, the authentic Japanese kimono hanging on the wall, and various other antiques. _Well, I guess when you're as old as he is, it would be easy to acquire such things.  
_Her exploration ended with the exquisite chess set in the living room. She sat down on the sofa and picked up the different chess pieces one at a time, smiling as she examined them. They brought back cherished memories of a time long ago when everything was so simple and carefree - her childhood. She had only been five years old when she saw her first chess set which was just like this one. It had belonged to Jim Wentworth - oh, how he loved the game. Her father was Jim's executive assistant and had taken her with him that day to drop off some important papers. She had wandered into the library and noticed the set on a table. Being curious by nature, she couldn't resist investigating this marvel. Her father had come into the room looking for her and caught her playing with the different pieces. He scolded her for touching Mr. Wentworth's property, but Jim only laughed as he sat her in one of the chairs and taught her how to play. She beat him the very first time she played. Jim hadn't been surprised, though, as Anna was a genius.  
"Do you play?" asked Duncan her.  
"Not anymore. It's not very challenging when you can beat everyone you play," she said matter-of-factly.  
"Really. You actually think you're that good?" Duncan said as he exchanged knowing glances with Methos.  
"I don't think, Duncan, I know," she stated candidly. She could tell that his Scottish pride was just aching for the opportunity to prove her wrong. She grinned. _Oh, why the hell not? It might be fun to show him that he doesn't know everything...especially about me_. But just as she was about to extend a challenge, the phone rang. Duncan answered it and spoke in hushed tones. _Must be Joe with the anticipated data. _After several minutes, Duncan hung up the phone.  
"That was Joe. He wants me to meet him at the bar."  
"What a wonderful idea!" Anna injected a little too profusely. "It's been a long time since I've been out for an evening on the town. How nice of Joe to think of it." She knew this wasn't exactly what Duncan had in mind, but there was no way she was going to miss what information Joe had to pass on to them. She also knew Duncan had a streak of chivalry in him and would not deny a lady's wishes. Methos/Adam, on the other hand, was different, so she decided to take action before he could say anything. She headed to the elevator. "Coming? The night's young and I'm ready." There was nothing they could do but follow.  
  
They entered the bar and found a table with a good view of the bandstand. There was a band on the stage warming up, getting ready for their first set. A perky little waitress came over to the table to take their order -- a single malt for Duncan, a beer for Methos, and white wine for Anna. Duncan then excused himself so he could talk to Joe. Anna knew it would be difficult to hear them over the music and the other customers. She also had a feeling Methos might decide to strike up a conversation with her, which he did. So she positioned herself in such a way that she would be able to read Joe's lips, a skill she learned working with deaf children. She was well adept at being able to speak with someone while "eavesdropping" on another conversation, and neither party aware of what she was doing.  
"So Joe, what did you find out?" Duncan asked, as the band began its first set.  
"Got confirmation on Anna's identity," he responded as he began filling the trio's order. "I sent one of our people to Great Neck. She faxed this picture to me along with a report." Duncan looked at the picture -- it was Anna. "According to the report, Margaret Grey, 32, is a hairstylist, married five years to Nelson "Sonny" Grey, no children. About a year ago, she was brutally attacked and raped. The experience left her in a catatonic state for several months. She was released from the hospital last month as an outpatient. Then two days ago, she disappeared. I've already contacted the family. Her husband's flying out in the morning. His flight gets in about 12:30pm." Joe studied his friend as he put their order on the tray for the waitress who then delivered the drinks to the table. "What's wrong, Mac? You look a little disappointed. You're not falling for this woman, are you?"  
"Of course not," he replied defensively. "Whatever gave you that idea? I better get back to the table." Duncan returned to the table, sitting down next to Anna.  
With this information, Anna knew that she had no other choice but to put her plan into action. She stared at the glass of wine before her, lost in thought. She knew the strange effect that alcohol had on her. It acted like a powerful aphrodisiac, releasing all her inhibitions. The object of her desire would be the person to whom she was strongly attracted. For that reason, she was always careful about when she drank it. But tonight she would use it to her advantage.  
"Anna. Earth to Anna. Do you hear me?" Methos said with a grin. Anna looked up, a little startled. "So where were you?"  
"Sorry. The music reminded me of something. Guess I went there for a little while," was her reply. "Now, what were you saying?"  
"Nothing really. I was just wondering if anything was wrong with your drink."  
"No, it's fine," she said. _It's now or never_. She picked the glass up and took a drink. The cool liquid felt strangely warm as it made its way down her throat. Already she could feel her blood begin to sing with the alcohol's effect. _It won't be long now_, she thought. At first, she would be like a giggly little schoolgirl. Then she would begin putting the moves on Duncan. But she knew his strong sense of honor wouldn't allow him to take advantage of the situation, especially when he believed the woman was married and a little off balance. More than likely, he would become flustered and hopefully she could catch him off guard. This effect didn't last long as she would fall asleep after about an hour then wake up about six hours later. "You know, this band is really good," she said as she took another drink.  
"Yeah, they are. Joe discovered them in some dive over by the waterfront and gave them a chance," Duncan informed her. "They got to be quite popular, but they never forgot what Joe did for them. So they come by every so often and do a few sets. Joe will probably sit in with them later."  
"That'll be nice," she said, starting to giggle. "I can't wait. Does he take request? Think he'd do 'Achy Breaky Heart' for me?"  
"Somehow I don't think so," was the reply from Methos. "It's not in his repertoire."  
"Ah, that's too bad," Anna said, pouting. "I was _really_ looking forward to a bluesy rendition of it." But the pout soon gave way to giggling. Both Duncan and Methos were thinking the same thing - this woman can't hold her liquor.  
"I think you've had enough to drink," Duncan told her, reaching for her glass.  
"NO." Anna grabbed the glass first and drank down the last of the wine, laughing as she finished it. She set the glass down, eyeing Duncan while licking her lips seductively. Her fingers began to lightly stroke the back of his hand.  
"Don't do that," he said as he pulled his hand away.  
"Oh, come on, Duncan. Let's have a little fun," she said as her hand made its way under the table to his leg. She began to massage the inside of his thigh, inching up towards his crotch.  
He grabbed her hand and placed it back on the table. "Stop that," he said rather firmly. He looked over at Methos for help only to find a big grin on his friend's face. "I think it's time we go."  
"Not into exhibitions are you," she said coyly. "Well, that's okay. A private little one on one is alright by me."  
"That's not what I had in mind," Duncan told her as he stood up. "Me...uh, Adam and I think that you need to get to bed...," but he didn't finish as Anna stood up and began caressing his chest.  
"Oh kinky. A threesome. I'm game," she purred.   
Methos started snickering at the look on Duncan's face. He _loved_ it when the Boy Scout was flustered.  
"This isn't funny," Duncan told his friend, then to Anna, "That isn't what I meant. You've had a little bit too much to drink and you need to get some sleep."  
"Oh pooh. It's not sleep I need, ducky," she said seductively. "I need a warm body to hump and I think you'll do nicely." Duncan heard a stifled laugh behind him. He turned his head only to find that Joe had come over to investigate the little scene that was taking place before him. _This is all I need,_ he thought. _A drunken mental case coming on to me which my so-called friends are finding totally amusing.  
_ Giving his friends a scowl, he said, "I glad you both find it so funny. Now, if you don't mind, Adam, let's get her out of here."  
"Oh, but I do mind. I thought I'd just hang out here with Joe as we _need_ to talk," Methos replied with a wicked grin. Duncan glared at him as he knew Methos was lying. _I'll get you for this, old man._   
Methos got up and went to the bar, smiling at Duncan. "See you later, MacLeod."  
"See you **both** later," he said icily. Duncan grabbed Anna by the arm and stormed out of the bar. Joe and Methos looked at each other and laughed.  
  



	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
The elevator stopped and Duncan opened the gate to the loft. Anna clung to him, her right hand trying to unbutton his shirt. Duncan grabbed her by the arms and led her over to the sofa.  
"Oh, so you like it rough," she said coquettishly. Duncan just gave her an exasperated look as she sat down on the sofa. The drive home had been a struggle between the two with Duncan trying to fend off the rapacious advances of Anna. It wasn't until Duncan managed to convince her that they would get back to the loft a lot faster if she would leave him alone, because she was distracting him and he couldn't concentrate on driving. Now he needed a new tactic. Just then he felt that familiar buzz and turned. The elevator came to a stop, the gate lifted, and Richie emerged. Duncan turned back to Anna, "Wait here."  
"Sure, babe. But don't be too long," she said as she stroke his leg. Duncan shook his head as he walked over to greet an anxious immortal.  
"Mac, glad you're home," Richie said as he entered the loft. "Sorry I wasn't here when you got back from the museum, but something came up." He stopped talking as a quizzical look formed on his face. Duncan turned around to see just what it was that had caused his friend's disconcerted look. The sight he beheld was of Anna on the sofa unbuttoning her shirt. Duncan shook his head, gave the younger immortal a 'Don't ask' look, then walked over to Anna.  
"Anna, not in front of Richie," Duncan said gently as he buttoned her shirt back up. "Now, could you do me a favor and just wait a little bit longer. Richie needs to talk to me. And the sooner I finish with him, the sooner we can be together. Okay?"  
"Oh, pooh. I hate waiting," she said with a pout. "What am I supposed to do while you talk to _him_?"  
"Why don't you watch some TV?" he responded. Duncan walked over and opened the armoire revealing the set. He grabbed the remote and handed it to her.  
"Okay, Pookie," she said giggling, turning the TV on. Duncan walked over to Richie, who opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when Duncan gave him a 'Don't you dare say a word' look.  
"So what's going on, Richie?" Duncan asked. "And this better be good."  
"About an hour after you left, Celia called and said she was having car trouble again and needed to get it to the garage to be fixed. She asked me to follow her over there just in case she broke down on the way," Richie explained. "Well, she had promised to take little Jake to the zoo and he was heart-broken that they wouldn't be able to go. So I volunteered to take them," he added with a grin.  
Duncan started to reply when Anna started laughing, really laughing. She had been eavesdropping on their conversation when something on TV caught her eye. A face -- a familiar face -- dressed in a white suit holding a bible. It was the end of some TV evangelist's show. He was saying good night to everyone and thanking them for all their help. He was also reminding them to continue that help so he could carry on the work of the Lord. That "he" was Reg. Well, that's what she called him...only she could get away with it. Everyone else had to call him Elton John. Of course, that's not what his name was here. It was Jeremiah Campbell. And standing next to Jeremiah was his lovely wife, Sister Elizabeth, who looked exactly like Madonna. It was so hysterical she just had to laugh. She laughed so hard that she began to cough. Duncan brought her a glass of water. She took a drink, looked up at him, yawned, and then fell asleep.  
  
After Duncan had settled Anna on the sofa, he signaled for Richie to join him in the kitchen to continue their discussion. Richie filled Duncan in on the details of what had happened earlier and he told Duncan he would follow up on it tomorrow. Duncan agreed the information might be helpful plus he was curious as to what it meant. He then filled Richie in on the details of their day. Well, what he felt was important. And Richie knew better than to say anything about what he had walked in on. But there was one question which the younger immortal wanted to ask. "So Mac, you said you'd met this Corrigan guy before?"  
"Yeah, about 60 years ago."  
  
Flashback -- Boston, 1932  
  
Duncan MacLeod rapped lightly on the apartment door. From the other side, he heard footsteps approach and a tentative voice say "Who is it?"  
"It's Duncan," was the reply. The door flew open and there before him stood his current love, Katie Maguire. His heart ached when he saw her as her beautiful blue eyes were red from crying and her lovely smile was missing. "I came as soon as I could."  
"Duncan," she whispered as she fell into his arms and began to weep. Holding her tight, he led her to the sofa to comfort her. Her crying subsided and as she looked up at him, he wiped away the tears and brushed back the curls of her long blonde hair. "Oh Duncan, it was awful," she said, as she began to cry uncontrollably.  
"Shhh, it's alright. I'm here now," he said softly. He sat there for a long time, holding her close to his heart and stroking her hair until she calmed down. "Would you like to talk about it? It might help."  
"Okay, I'll try," she replied, trying to compose herself. She sat up to face him and began her tale. "I was coming home from shopping this afternoon and, since it was such a beautiful day, I decided to walk through the park. I stopped for a while to sit by the fountain. As I sat there, I noticed something red over by the bushes. The wind was blowing it. It looked like some kind of fabric. I wondered what it could be so I went over to see what it was. When I got there...." She paused as she was on the verge of tears again. Duncan gently caressed her cheek, his concern for her showing in his eyes. "It was a jacket, only.... Oh my God, how could someone do something like that to....?" was all she managed to say before the tears began to flow again.  
Duncan held her once more, trying to soothe away the pain. Eventually, Katie fell asleep in his arms. Duncan carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed, drawing the covers over her. He returned to the living room to read until she awakened. It was almost two hours later before she emerged.  
"Feeling better?" he asked, as he rose and walked towards her. Katie walked towards him as well. When they met, Duncan put his strong arms around her, held her tightly and kissed her forehead.  
"In your arms, definitely," she said as she snuggled. "But I'd feel a whole lot better if we could go get something to eat. I'm starving."  
"And just where would you like to eat, as if I didn't know?" he asked with a grin.  
"Mamma's, of course," she giggled.  
"You keep eating there the way you do and you're gonna get fat," he teased her.  
"Not with the way that we always work it off later," she said with a sly grin.  
"Then I guess I'll have to take you there more often," he replied with a wicked grin on his face.  
"I'd like that. A lot. But if we're going, then I need to get ready," she said as she pulled away and walked to the bedroom. "I won't be long." She smiled mischievously at him and closed the door.  
  
Dinner, as always, was superb. They finished their meal and Katie ordered dessert. As they waited for it to arrive, Duncan felt that old familiar buzz. He looked around, his eyes eventually finding the source of the quickening. Near the restaurant entrance stood a tall, blonde hair man waiting to be seated. He looked to be in his early thirties, but Duncan knew that looks could be deceiving, especially where immortals were concerned. The blonde man walked to their table and stopped. "Excuse me," the man said.  
"Is there something you want?" Duncan asked him.  
"Maybe, if you're Katherine Maguire," the stranger replied, nodding towards Katie.  
"Who's asking?" Duncan inquired.  
"My name is Kevin Corrigan. I'm a reporter with the Globe. I'd like to ask Miss Maguire a few questions, if I may."  
"No, you may not," Duncan said protectively. "She has nothing to say to the press. Now if you don't mind, we'd like to be left alone."  
"Surely, Mister...," Corrigan said.  
"MacLeod. Duncan MacLeod."  
"Yes. Surely, Mr. MacLeod, you understand that the people have a right to know what has happened, especially since this was the fifth body that's been found in the area over the last three months."  
"If you want to know what happened, then I suggest you talk to the police. Now if you will excuse us," Duncan said adamantly, signaling for the check "we'll be going. Good evening."  
"Alright, but we'll meet again, Mr. MacLeod. We will meet again."  
  
Back to the present.....  
  
"So what happened?" Richie asked. Just then the phone rang. It was Joe. Duncan asked Joe to hold a moment, then he told Richie to come by for breakfast in the morning. With that, Richie left.  
"So Mac, how are things going?" Joe said with a laugh in his voice.  
"Fine. She fell asleep on the sofa shortly after we arrived back here."  
"Really," Joe replied, a sound of disbelief in his voice.  
"Sorry to disappoint you and Methos, but that is what happened. You can ask Richie."  
"Oh. Well, just checking in. Guess I'll see you tomorrow. Night Mac."  
"Night Joe," Duncan hung up the phone and headed for bed.  
  
Anna awoke, still a little groggy from the effects of the alcohol. She rolled over and, pushing back her curls, looked at her watch. It was a little after 4AM. She slowly sat up and glanced over at the bed. It looked as if her plan had worked, which didn't surprise her. Duncan was sound asleep, so she would be able to make her escape with ease.  
Apparently, they had left her sleeping on the sofa, probably fearing she might awaken if they moved her. But they were kind enough to provide her with a pillow and a blanket. She got up, collected her clothes, and silently made her way to the front door. _See you around, Duncan MacLeod,_ she thought as she closed the door.  
She made her way down the stairs towards the alley, then the street. She was heading back to the warehouse as she was sure he had left her a clue. She knew he was the one who brought her here, but how he did it or what evil little game he was playing she didn't know. Whatever it was, she was ready for it. He tried to destroy her once, but never again. _NEVER AGAIN!  
_  
Duncan awoke as the sunlight that streamed through the windows disturbed his slumber. He threw the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his head. Standing up, he headed for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, he emerged ready for the day's events; however, a cup of coffee couldn't hurt. As he passed the sofa on the way to the kitchen, he noticed it was empty.  
  
"Anna," he called as he picked up the blanket. It was cold, so he knew she had been gone for sometime. "Wonderful," he added sarcastically as he headed towards the phone.  
A half hour later, Joe and Methos were at the loft with Richie expected at any moment. They were plotting their strategy over the quick breakfast Duncan had whipped up. "I'm sure the first place she would have headed would have been the warehouse. Methos and I should check it out, while you wait for her husband to show up," Duncan told them.  
"I'll also put the word out and see if I can locate Corrigan," Joe added. At that moment, the three heard the elevator slowly advancing. Duncan and Methos felt the presence of another immortal. The elevator stopped and the gate opened. Richie emerged with a bag of donuts in his hand.  
"Hey, Mac. Joe. Old Man," Richie said with a grin, offering the sweet cakes to his comrades.  
"Watch it, kid," Methos replied, taking a glazed donut.  
"So what's the plan, guys?" Richie asked.  
"MacLeod has decided were going to charge up San Juan Hill and rescue the damsel in distress," Methos said mockingly. "Or is that climb up the ivory tower?"  
"Very funny, _old man_," Duncan retorted. "Methos and I are going to the warehouse to see if we can't pick up on Anna's trail...sorry, Margaret's trail. I'm pretty sure she's headed there. Joe is going to see if he can get a location on Corrigan as well as pick her husband up at the airport. As for you, I think you should check on that matter we discussed last night."  
"And just what would that matter be?" Joe and Methos asked simultaneously. Duncan nodded to Richie to tell them what he had discovered yesterday.  
"Yesterday, my friend, Celia, showed up with her little boy, Jake. She was having car trouble and wanted me to follow her to the garage. Afterwards, we went to the zoo and dinner. On the way back, Jake was playing with something in the backseat. It was a CD he said he had found on the floor under the sofa in Mac's office. It kinda shocked me when I saw it." Richie pulled the CD out and handed it to Joe, who looked at it, then at Duncan and Richie with a puzzled expression on his face. He passed it on to Methos who was also amazed at the picture on the cover. There was a man sitting in a chair who looked strangely like Jeremiah Campbell. It said 'Elton John. Love Songs.' "Mac wants me to check on this, see if I can find out were it came from. The weird thing is I listened to it and those are Elton John's song, but Campbell's voice. Actually, I thought he sounded better than Elton John."  
"This is rather odd. I'm somewhat curious myself as to exactly where this came from," Methos said as he opened the case. He pulled the inside cover out to examine it. The inscription caught his eye immediately. "Listen to this. It's inscribed. It says 'To The Little Dictator. Love, the old Queen, Reg.'" They all looked at one another wondering just exactly what it meant.  
  



	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
Anna arrived at the warehouse shortly before dawn. It was still dark, so she would have to wait awhile before she could begin searching the alley where she's had seen **_him _**yesterday. But she didn't mind too much as this little interval gave her time to contemplate her game plan. She knew he was playing a game of cat and mouse....in his mind, he was the cat and she was the mouse. Unfortunately for him, he had forgotten the story about the mouse that roared. And what a roar she had. She was not the same person he had known eighteen months ago. That was one of her advantages. However, she did have a few problems. She didn't have a car which made it difficult to get around. In fact, she didn't have any money for gas. Heck, she didn't even have money for food. Of course, that didn't bother her too much. With her schedule, she constantly missed meals here and there, so she could survive for a short period without it. But the fact she was in another dimension might prove to be a little vexing. After all, it was a different place with different people and such. She would just have to cross those bridges when she came to them.  
Finally, the sun appeared above, so she began her search. After about 20 minutes, she found what she was looking for. In the middle of the alley behind a dumpster was a book of matches from some motel with the words 'It's all your fault' written on the inside cover. As she read those words, unpleasant memories came to mind and the fury in her resurfaced. _BASTARD! When I get through with you, you'll wish you had never known those words existed.  
_  
The Roosevelt Motel. _From the looks of it, Roach Motel suited it better,_ she thought as she stared at the dilapidated building before her. The address on the matchbook had said it was located on Roberts Street. She remembered passing that street on her way to the warehouse, so she backtracked until she reached it. Once there, it was only a short while before she found the motel. Well, this poor excuse for one. She headed towards the door marked "Office." A "VACANCY" sign hung in the window which didn't surprise her.  
She entered the building and looked around. The decor matched the exterior. To her right was a light blue sofa, threadbare in places and badly stained. The coffee table in front of it was littered with old magazines and ashtrays filled with cigarette butts. Next to it was a Coke and a candy machine. A very large, old oscillating fan sat on a shelf above blowing a cool breeze her way. Finally, her eyes rested on the reservation desk. Behind it sat a tall, thin man with a scraggly beard, and long, greasy blonde hair slicked back into a ponytail. He wore an earring in his left ear and an old Harley-Davidson T-shirt, a pack of cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve. He looked up from the magazine he'd been reading and smiled, his teeth badly stained by tar. Anna walked towards him and set down the bag containing her clothes. "Hello, Beautiful," he said with a lecherous grin. "And what can I do for you?"  
"I'm looking for a man and I hope you can help me," she replied.  
"Well, gorgeous, you've come to the right place. I'm all the man you need."  
Anna ignored his advances and continued, "The man I'm looking for is a male Caucasian, about six-two, blonde hair, blue eyes, approximately thirty years old. Might have used the name Michael Lansing. Have you seen him?"  
"You know, you sound like a cop," his voice hardening. "I don't talk to cops." The man went back to reading his magazine, ignoring Anna. She could tell by the sound of his voice he knew who Michael was and could probably tell her where to find him. So she quickly reached around, grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his face on the counter. He tried to sit back up, but Anna was much too strong for him.  
"Listen, sleaze ball, I'm not a cop," she said, trying to control the anger in her voice. "But I am one determined little momma. The man I described left a matchbook from this motel for me, so I know he was here. So I think it would be in your best interest if you told me what I wanted to know," she added very forcefully. Anna lightly squeezed the man's neck to show him she meant business.  
"Ouch," he said, obviously in pain. "Your name Anna?" The sleaze ball was scared.  
"Yeah, what about it?" was her reply.  
"The guy you're looking for gave me an envelope and told me that if someone named Anna came by, I was to give it to her. If you'll let me up, I'll get it for you." Anna released her hold on the man. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, then reached down and pulled out an envelope. She took the envelope, picked up her bag, nodded a goodbye and headed for the door. The man called after her as she opened the door, "Hey, how'd ya get to be so strong?"  
"Spinach," she said with a slight grin as she closed the door. Once outside, she set down her bag and looked at the envelope. On the front was her name and address in an all too familiar handwriting. It brought back memories of similar envelopes she had received and a sense of panic began to fill her. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. _Take a deep breath and relax. He did this on purpose knowing what it would do to you when you saw it. Don't let him get to you. Don't let him win at these little mind games he's playing with you. Just relax. Relax. Relax._ Having regained her composure, she opened her eyes, then the envelope. Inside was a photograph of an old-style Victorian home, much like the one she restored, and a map of Seacouver. On the back of the picture was an address - 633 Paradise Lane - apparently her next destination. So she committed the map to memory, and then stuffed the picture and the map back into the envelope. She picked up her bag bound for Paradise Lane, dropping the envelope in a nearby garbage can as she went.  
  



	8. Chapter Seven

Village Mystic: Just to let you know, this story is complete. It's taking me some time to upload it as I have to edit it before I can post it. As for the story, my friends, who have read it, thought it was just wonderful, but, as for myself, I think it's only so-so. As I told one of them, I have trouble putting it all down on paper. It's not exactly what I had envisioned. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
By the time Duncan and Methos arrived at the warehouse alley, it was almost 9 o'clock. They were hoping to find some clue as to where Anna/Margaret was headed, but they knew their chances were slim. If she found anything, she was sure to have taken it with her. But maybe, just maybe, they would get lucky. They searched the alley and turned up nothing.  
"It's no use, MacLeod," said Methos. "We're not going to find anything. I think we should check in with Joe and see if he came up with anything."  
"Well, maybe we should check inside the warehouse and see if there is anything there."  
"MacLeod, you're grasping at straws. She's been here and gone, leaving nothing behind. Let's go."  
Just then a voice from behind them said, "Whadda ya looking for?" They turned to see a blonde, shaggy-haired boy, about ten years old, sitting on a bike. He was wearing a Seacouver Chiefs T-shirt and cut-offs.  
"A friend of ours dropped something here yesterday. We were just trying to help her find it," Duncan replied.  
"I think she's already found it," the boy told them.  
"What do you mean?" Duncan asked him.  
"Well," the boy said, "there was some woman here this morning looking around. Saw her when I was delivering my papers."  
Duncan and Methos looked at each other, and then Duncan turned back to the boy. "Really. This woman, what did she look like?"  
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Kinda tall and skinny, I guess. Had long hair, maybe brown. She found something under that dumpster there and looked at it for awhile. Then she just left."  
"Did you see which way she went?" Duncan inquired. "We'd like to catch up with her."  
"That way," the boy answered, pointing his finger trying to show them which way she went. "Towards Lexington St."  
"Thanks, son. You've been really helpful," Duncan said, pulling his money clip out of his pocket and handing the boy twenty dollars, ignoring Methos' incredulous look.  
"Thanks, mister," said the astonished boy. Duncan and Methos started to head for the car when the boy added, "but don't you want to know where she is now?" With that, the duo stopped dead in their tracks and turned back to face the boy. He just grinned.  
"Yeah, that would be very helpful," Methos said. "So just where is she now?"  
"Well, I saw her going up Roberts St. a little bit ago."  
"Which way on Roberts?" asked Duncan.  
"Uh, she was heading towards Dunkirk," the lad replied.  
"Thanks again, kid," Duncan said giving the kid another ten, then headed to the car with Methos. They continued their search for the missing Margaret, determined to find her before her husband arrived. With the information the boy just provided, they just might succeed.  
  
Anna continued her journey to Paradise - she smiled at her little joke. By her calculations, she should reach her destination by late afternoon as it was about 10 miles away. As she turned the corner, she stopped. Across the street, an all too familiar T-bird pulled up to the curb, the occupants exiting to search the area. _How in the world did they find me? Must be pure luck on their part._ Anna backed up, ducking out of sight. She quickly weighed her options and decided her best course of action would be to backtrack a block, then head up an alley over to the next street. Just as she began to leave, Methos caught sight of her. "MacLeod, over here," he said pointing in the direction of Anna.  
Anna took off in a dead run followed by Methos. Duncan jumped into his car to continue his pursuit, stopping long enough to pick up the ancient immortal. This proved to be an excellent idea as there was no way Methos could have kept up with Anna. Both men were amazed at her speed.  
She continued up the street past the alley, keeping an eye on the T- Bird. Once it had past the alley, she stopped, turned around, and headed back the other way. Unfortunately for the occupants of the T-Bird, there was a car behind them so they couldn't back up. So Methos hopped out of the car in pursuit of Anna, who had already turned into the alley, while Duncan circled the block to cut her off at the other end.  
As Methos turned the corner, a pair of hands grabbed him by his collar and threw him up against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. With one swift movement, Anna kicked his feet out from under him and Methos landed flat on his back. "Sorry, Methos, but I really don't have any other choice." So as he laid there on the ground, Anna landed a blow to his head, rendering him unconscious. Normally, she would not have resorted to such tactics, especially on someone she really liked. But given the fact that he was immortal and would heal shortly, plus her need to continue her journey, she allowed herself this one little lapse in character. She then took off for Paradise again.  
A couple of minutes later, Duncan pulled the T-Bird into the alley and saw Methos lying on the ground at the end of the alley. Stopping the car, he jumped out and looked around for Anna who was nowhere to be seen, and then rushed to his friend's side. "Methos. Methos," he said as he knelt down and began gently slapping the older immortal's face trying to bring him around. "Methos, come on. Wake up. Wake up."  
The elder immortal's eyes flickered and then opened. "MacLeod," he said as he tried to sit up.  
"It's okay. Here, let me help you up," the Scot said as he extended a hand to help his friend to his feet. "What happened?"  
"She was lying in wait for me," was the response. "She grabbed me as I came around the corner, threw me against the wall, knocked me to the ground and hit me in the head."  
"Margaret did all that?"  
"Why does that surprise you? You above all people should know what a woman is capable of."  
"That's not what I meant," the Scot replied defensively. "She didn't seem like the type who would do something like this."  
"Well, that's not all, MacLeod. She knows my name."  
"Of course, she knows your name," Duncan replied.  
"No, she knows my real name. She called me Methos."  
"Are you sure? After all, you did suffer a blow to the head. Maybe you just thought you heard her say that."  
"No, she said it just before she hit me in the head. She said 'Sorry Methos, but I really don't have any other choice.'"  
"How in the hell did she find out what your real name is?"  
"I don't know, but this is getting more interesting by the minute. And I'm definitely going to hang around for the ending."  
  
It was almost noon when the pair returned to the loft. They had searched the area for any sign of Anna/Margaret, but came up empty. Since they had nothing else to go on, they decided it was better to return home to see if Joe or Richie had any luck. As Duncan lifted the gate on the elevator, the phone began to ring. Duncan answered it before it went to the machine, "Hello."  
"Mac, how did it go?" It was Joe. "Were you able to find her?"  
"Joe. Oh, we found her alright, but then we lost her." Duncan quickly filled Joe in on their little chase.  
"She knows he's Methos? But how?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.  
"That's what we'd like to know. This whole thing is getting stranger by the minute."  
"Well, I'm on my way to the airport now to pick up Nelson Grey. I'm not looking forward to telling him that his wife is missing again."  
"Don't tell him much more than that. I think our best course of action would be to wait until you get here. It's possible that Margaret knows about us, but he may not. We can question him about her, see if he can shed any light onto what's really going on here. I mean, she certainly doesn't act like a beautician.....she's more like a commando."  
"Okay, Mac. By the way, there's no news on Corrigan yet. Sorry."  
"Not your fault, Joe. See you later," Duncan said as he hung up the phone. "Guess I'll fix us some lunch. Wonder if Richie has had any luck." As if on cue, the pair felt the approach of the younger immortal. As the gate opened and the lad appeared, Duncan said, "Hey Richie. What did you find out?"  
"Nothing yet, but I have a few people checking on it," Richie responded. "Said they'd call me if they found anything for me."  
Duncan sighed and began to prepare a light lunch, mainly in an effort to keep himself busy. He hated just sitting around and not being able to do anything. If Corrigan got to Margaret first, he would never forgive himself. Methos knew exactly what his friend was thinking and decided to do something about it.  
"You know, MacLeod, you weren't put on this earth to be everybody's savior. You aren't Superman."  
"I know what you're trying to do, Methos, but it won't work. If I had dealt with Corrigan all those years ago, Anna.....Margaret wouldn't be in this situation."  
  
Flashback -- Boston, 1932 (One week later)  
  
Duncan, dressed in a tuxedo, escorted Katie down the street as they headed towards her apartment. She was a vision of loveliness in a burgundy silk charmeuse evening gown with a lace shawl draped over her shoulders. It had been a wonderful evening with dinner at one of Boston's finest restaurants, followed by an evening at the ballet.  
"I really enjoyed myself tonight, Duncan. I hate to see it end," she said.  
"It doesn't have to," he said with a wicked glint in his eye and a sly smile on his face.  
"Oooh, I do like the way you think," she purred and cuddled closer to him. Just then, Duncan once again felt the buzz and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but he knew there was an immortal nearby. "Duncan, what's wrong?" Katie was worried.  
"Thought I heard something, but it must have been my imagination. Don't worry," he said as he pulled her tighter, "I won't let anything happen to you. A couple of more blocks and we'll be back at your place." As they passed the alley, they heard a noise. Katie looked at Duncan anxiously. "Wait here while I check it out," he said. As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm. "It's alright. I'll be right back." He smiled and stroked her face reassuringly.  
Duncan walked into the alley, a light over a doorway shone at the other end. The presence of the other immortal grew stronger as he continued down the alley, so he drew his sword. "Hello, MacLeod," a familiar voice said. A figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the light.  
"Corrigan. What are you doing here?" Duncan asked.  
"Oh, just following up a lead on my story. That's all." the other immortal replied nonchalantly. It was then Duncan saw in the doorway light a bloody arm on the ground. He eyed Corrigan suspiciously. "Too bad you had to come along and ruin it," Corrigan added as he pulled out his sword and began wiping off the fresh blood. Duncan saw the glint of a silver cross hanging from a chain in the other immortal's hand.  
"You're the Crucifix Killer? " Duncan asked, visibly disgusted by this revelation.  
"Surprise."  
"Duncan," a voice called out from behind him. Katie was coming up the alley towards him.  
"Stay away," Duncan yelled at her. Unfortunately, she was close enough that she saw the arm and screamed. Duncan looked back at her, hiding his sword at the same time. With Duncan distracted, Corrigan took this opportunity to make his escape. Duncan was tempted to go after him, but decided to stay with Katie instead. She needed him. He could always track Corrigan down later and deal with him then.  
  
Back to the present.....  
  
"So you never caught up with the man," Richie asked.  
"Not until yesterday. I'd looked for him, but he vanished," Duncan told him.  
"It wasn't your responsibility," Methos reiterated.  
"He was a vicious, cold-blooded killer," Duncan said vehemently, throwing the cloth he had in his hand down on the counter and walking towards the kitchen window. As he leaned against the wall, he added, "I should have gone after him then, when I had the chance."  
"But you didn't. You made what you believed to be the right choice at the time. You'll just have to live with it," the ancient one told him, then with a grin on his face asked, "Who says you would have caught him anyway?"  
Duncan looked at Methos and smiled. His friend always knew just what to say, which wasn't surprising considering how old he was. He walked back over to the counter and continued fixing lunch. The three sat down to eat and await the arrival of Nelson Grey. 


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
It was about 1:30 when Joe arrived with Margaret's husband. Dressed in jeans and a sports jacket, Nelson Grey was a large, burly man with dark eyes and a military style haircut. There was a small scar over his left eye. As he stepped off the elevator, the look on Nelson Grey's face showed he wasn't very happy about his wife disappearing again. As the two men emerged from the lift, Joe spoke. "Hey everyone, I would like you to meet Nelson Grey. Sonny, this is Duncan MacLeod." Duncan stepped forward to greet his guest, while Joe continued. "Over there is Richie Ryan. And Adam Pierson is the one on the sofa."  
"How do you do, Mr. Grey?" the Scot said, shaking Nelson's hand.  
"Please call me Sonny," he informed them.  
"Alright Sonny, I'm Duncan. Please have a seat and make yourself at home. Can I get you anything? Something to drink maybe?"  
"No, nothing right now," Sonny replied. "I would just like to know what's going on. What do the police say?"  
"Well, we haven't notified the police yet," Duncan said hesitantly.  
"You haven't notified them," Sonny said incredulously. "Why not? My wife's out there, lord knows in what kind of condition, and could be in trouble." He looked around at the men in the room, the anger at what Duncan had just told him showing in his eyes.  
Duncan also looked around at the others and realized that they were going to allow him to handle this uncomfortable situation. _Gee, thanks guys_, he thought sarcastically. Then to Sonny he said, "I'm sure she's fine. We were trying to track her down ourselves before you got here."  
Sonny eyed them suspiciously. "What are you, some kind of P.I. trying to shake me down for some money? Cause if you are, you can forget it."  
"No, I'm not a P.I.," Duncan assured him. "It's just that we were trying to avoid all the red tape that goes along with a police investigation. You know how the police can be." Sonny nodded at this statement as if he knew exactly what Duncan was talking about. "All they'll do is keep an eye out for her and tell you to be patient. If you try to help, they let you know they don't appreciate it." He hoped this excuse would sound plausible to Sonny as to why they hadn't involved the cops. They couldn't very well tell him that is was because a crazed immortal was after his wife. So he decided to add, "And since we've had experience in this, we thought we could do a better job of bringing Margaret back safely to you."  
Sonny seemed to accept this explanation. "Military, right?" he asked. "Yeah, you and your friends look like you put some time in. Well, maybe not the kid. Special Forces?"  
"Something like that," Duncan replied.  
"Marine myself. Two tours. Nothing like the military to make a man out of ya. Remember that kid." At this, Methos arose from the sofa and walked over to the refrigerator to retrieve a beer. He had had enough of so-called military life to last him 50 lifetimes. Of course, being over 5,000 years old, he had lived slightly more than 50 lifetimes. Sonny continued, "So what are you gonna do now? How do you plan to find her?"  
"Well, we almost had her earlier based on what we knew about her, but she managed to slip away from us. We need you to tell us more about her, so we can get an idea of how she thinks."  
"Need to know about her, huh. Well, Maggie and I were high school sweethearts, but right before graduation we had a fight and broke up. I enlisted in the Marines, while Maggie got a job as a waitress. Eventually, she saved some money and went to beauty college. She also took some self- improvement classes. Learned about art and literature, how to talk better, 'cause she wanted to get a job in one of those ritzy, high class shops. She needed to be able to talk to her customers. But she wasn't interested in that stuff. Bored her. No, when she went home, she liked to go to the neighborhood bar and just hang out with her friends. And she did get a job at one of those shops. Made real good money too." As Sonny talked about Maggie, they could hear the pride and love in his voice. "When I got out, I got a job with my uncle's trucking company. Ran into her one night and we got to talking. The old flame was still there and we started dating. Six months later, we were married. Everything was going good. We traveled around the country some. Didn't have any interest in going to any of those foreign countries. Anything ya need to see is right here in America. Saw some Broadway shows. Went to the Garden to watch wrestling. Maggie has a thing for the Masher. Then two years ago, we decided it was time to settle down and start a family. Bought a house and Maggie got pregnant. We were happy. Then she got...," Sonny's voice was overcome with emotion. "...raped. Lost the baby. Ended up in **that** hospital. She's just never been the same." The pain and sadness in Sonny's voice was evident. This man, no matter what they thought of him, really loved and cared for his wife.  
"Tell me," Methos asked, "has she taken any self defense courses?"  
"If she had, do you think that **thing** would have been able to do what he did to her," was Sonny's reply.  
Duncan realized that they had gotten all they could from Sonny for the moment as he was too upset to answer any more questions. "Thank you, Sonny, you've been very helpful. Don't worry. We'll find her for you. Joe, why don't you take him to his hotel now. He looks as if he could use a nice rest."  
Sonny extended his hand to Duncan. "Thank you. I really appreciate all that you've done so far. Thanks, all of you." With that, Sonny followed Joe to the elevator and they left.  
"So Mac, what do you make of all that?" Richie asked.  
"I'm not sure, Richie. Margaret has had classes in art, but Sonny says it bores her. Yet, when we went to the museum yesterday, she obviously enjoyed it. She even told us on the way home she hadn't had that much fun in a long time. Plus, she took Methos out with very little trouble, yet she's never had self-defense classes. It just doesn't add up."  
"Well, it's possible the rape did something to her mind to change her," Methos said, adding his two cents, "which would explain why she now likes the world of art. As for her display in the alley, the mind is something we just don't understand. It's been known to give a person the strength to lift a car off a person when that person is placed in a life or death situation. That just may be what has happened there."  
Duncan started to reply when the phone rang. Richie went to answer it. "Chuck. Hey, how's it going? So, whadda got for me." Richie signaled that it was his friend calling him back about the CD. He listened for a few minutes before he finally said, "Yeah, well thanks for checking for me. No, I told you it was just something someone told me and we had a bet on it. That's all. But if I ever do run across it, you'll be the first to know." Richie hung up the phone and walked back to the living room. "Well, according to Chuck, that CD doesn't exist. Said that he couldn't find anything where Campbell did a stint as a pop singer. Nothing. Nada. But he did tell me if I ever got my hands on a CD like that, it would be worth a lot of money."  
Duncan and Methos just looked at each other. If anything, this whole mess was very fascinating.  
  
It was almost four o'clock when Anna arrived at her destination. The house before her looked deserted. Since she didn't sense the presence of danger, she decided to approach it. Except for a minor difference here and there, the house was almost an exact duplicate of her own home. It was rather spooky in a way. As she neared the front door, she noticed another manila envelope with "FYI" printed on it had been taped to the door. She removed the envelope and opened it very hesitantly. Inside was a clipping from the local newspaper about Thaddeus Blake, a famous author who had resided in this very house and passed away two weeks ago. Anna didn't know why, but she somehow felt a kinship with this man. Also inside was a key, apparently to the front door. She tried it and the door opened.  
Anna stepped inside and fumbled for the light switch. When the lights came on, she was even more amazed at the sight before her. Not only was the outside an almost exact duplicate, but so was the inside. Directly in front of her was the staircase leading upstairs. To her left was the living room, with its beautiful hardwood floor. It contained the same Victorian style settee and chairs sitting in front of the fireplace with a beautifully carved oak mantle. Over the mantle was a reproduction of "Starry Night" by Van Gogh. In front of the bay window sat a baby grand piano. To the far wall was a bookcase containing books by many of Anna's favorite authors. The only difference between this room and her living room was this room lacked personal photographs of family and friends.  
The room next door was supposed to be the dining room, but just as Anna had done in her home, Mr. Blake had closed up the doorway from the living room and converted it into an office, leaving only the doorway to the hall as its entrance. However, unlike Anna's, this room did not have the sophisticated security system she had designed for her office to protect the classified work she did. But in every other way, this office was the same as hers. A large mahogany desk sat at the other end of the room. On the table next to it was a state of the art computer. Anna made her way over to the computer and turned it on. She easily hacked her way through all the data, but there wasn't anything on it except works in progress which the author never got to complete. Disheartened, Anna sat back in the big, comfortable chair to mull over her options. It suddenly dawned on her that for an author, this man had not installed any security measures to protect his work as it was easily accessible. This was strange because from what she had seen, it was obvious that the man knew a great deal about computers. So maybe this wasn't the only computer in the house. Maybe this was just a red herring. She would have to search the rest of the house starting with the basement.  
It was then that Anna's stomach began to grumble. Well, that was understandable considering she hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday. She wondered if there was anything in the kitchen she could fix to eat. She doubted it since no one had lived in the house for the last two weeks. But then again, maybe Michael had thought to provide her sustenance so she could keep up her strength for this little game he was playing.  
She got up and went out the door, turning left towards the kitchen. It too was a replica of hers. As she entered the room, she saw an oak mission style dining table that seated six. Beyond that was another large bay window with a padded window seat overlooking the deck. To her right was the door to the basement and the garage. To her left was the kitchen island area. Beautiful custom-made oak cabinets lined the walls with dark green ceramic tiled counter tops that matched the splashes of green in the wallpaper. A large, oversized black refrigerator sat against the far wall. Slightly to its left was the sink with a window overlooking the rose garden in the side yard. Along the adjacent wall was the matching black range. In the center of the room sat the island which, unlike Anna's, had been used many times to prepare meals and bake goodies. Sitting on it now was a can of tomato soup and a box of Ritz crackers. She walked over and opened the refrigerator. Inside was a pint of milk, fruit, and some pastry. _Yep, Michael thought of me._ Anna opened the cabinets and discovered that everything was exactly where she kept it in her kitchen. Taking out a pan, she opened the can of soup and heated it. After pouring herself a glass of milk, she poured the warm soup into a bowl and took her food to the table. Now she wasn't really a fan of tomato soup, but right now it really hit the spot.  
When she was finished, she cleaned up the kitchen and headed for the basement. If it was anything like her basement, she knew it would have been converted into a family room. And it had. Along the wall in front of her was a very large entertainment center complete with a large screen TV, a VCR, and a CD shelf system. There was also a large collection of videos and CDs; however, this collection lacked the numerous children's videos she kept for the tykes that came to visit her. In the center of the room was a comfortable, overstuffed, but well-worn sectional sofa In front of it was a very large pine coffee table with various knick-knacks on it. Along the stairwell wall, a bar had been installed, well-stocked with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. There was also a pool table and a dart board hanging on the wall. Across the room, there were two closed doors. She crossed the room and opened the first door discovering the laundry room. The second door opened to a storage room, but there was something different about this room. It was the far wall. There was something strange about the far wall. As she walked closer, she could hear wind whistling on the other side like in a tunnel. Anna saw that a section of the wall was fairly new. Upon further investigation, she realized this section was not really a wall at all but a door. Some type of secret door. She looked around for a triggering mechanism. After a few minutes, she found it and the door opened. As it opened, she saw a tunnel which automatically lit up.  
Anna walked down the hall until she reached another door at the other end. She must be under the old stables that were behind the house. Opening that door, Anna entered a room with computer console and three monitors in front of it. She sat down at the console and turned it on. When she did, the monitors came on as well. Each monitor had a different scene on it with different people. Interesting. Anna turned her attention to the computer. This one was definitely more difficult to access, but not impossible. A short while later, she found a couple of files that interested her, so she sat back and began to read.


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
  
Duncan sat on his sofa staring at the empty whiskey glass he held in his hand. He had returned to the loft a short time ago, having spent the majority of the day with Richie and Methos in a futile search for Margaret. Joe, on the other hand, had remained behind checking with other watchers as to the possible whereabouts of Corrigan.  
First, the trio had gone to talk to Sonny hoping that there might be some additional information he could provide that would help in their quest. Unfortunately, there wasn't much for Sonny to add to what he had already told them. So they returned to the warehouse district and separated, each taking a section hoping they could find something which would to lead them to Margaret. No such luck. They decided to take a break and regroup later. Methos headed for Joe's to see if he came up with anything, while Richie went to get something to eat. Duncan told them he would wait for them at the loft. He **hated** waiting.  
The Scot got up and went to the armoire to refill his glass. He was interrupted by a ringing telephone. Walking over and picking it up, he answered and heard a familiar voice.  
"Hey, Duncan," the voice said. "No luck in finding Margaret, huh? Well, don't worry. With my help, you just might get lucky," the voice on the other end chuckled.  
"Anna?" Duncan queried, presuming Margaret believed herself to be Anna. "Where are you? Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine, Duncan. I'm quite safe," she assured him. "I called because I've got some news for you. You see, I know you're convinced that I'm someone called Margaret Grey, but I'm not. And I can prove it. Curious?"  
"Of course I'm curious," was the response. "Just how do you plan to prove it?"  
"Well, first we'll have to meet. But before we do, I need you to promise me something."  
"And just what would that be? Not to tell anyone about our meeting?"  
Anna chuckled. "How did you ever guess?" she said, highly amused. Then her voice changed to a somber one. "Actually, I want you to swear on the honor of the MacLeods that you will not tell anyone in anyway where we are meeting or that you have even spoken to me. You are also to swear that you will not allow anyone to follow you, that our meeting will just be between you and me."  
Duncan was silent for a few moments. "Okay, I swear I won't tell."  
"No, Duncan," Anna interrupted, the tone of her voice was very serious now, "swear on the honor of the MacLeods and I know I will be able to trust you."  
Duncan knew she had him. "Alright, I swear on the honor of the MacLeods that I won't tell anyone where we are meeting or that we are even meeting. I won't let anyone follow me. It will only be between you and me."  
"Good. I want you to meet me at the China Gate Restaurant on Eden Parkway in about 20 minutes."  
"The China Gate?"  
"Hey, I'm hungry."  
"Alright, the China Gate it is," the Scot said and hung up the phone. He grabbed his coat and scrawled a quick message to Richie letting him know he was going out and not to worry. He would contact them later and let them know what was going on. He then left for his meeting with Anna.  
  
Duncan pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant about 20 minutes later. He got out of his car and looked around. At first, there was no sign of Anna, but then he saw her emerge from the shadows of the restaurant. She smiled at him and waved, so he approached her.  
"Hello Duncan. Long time, no see," she said with an impish grin.  
"Anna. Glad to see you're all right."  
"Told you I could take care of myself. Anyway, Corrigan's isn't finished with me yet, so we're both safe for the time being," she said as she slipped her arm through his. "Now on to more important matters. I ordered take out for us so why don't you go inside and pick it up?" She grinned at the exasperated look on his face. "Hey remember, I don't have any money." Then she added with a fake little pout on her face. "Besides, I haven't had anything to eat today except some soup."  
Duncan smiled and rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's go get your food." The two entered the restaurant, collected the food, and then settled themselves in Duncan's car. "So where to now?"  
"You'll need to turn right and head up Eden eight blocks, then turn left onto Serenity Drive. It dead ends into Paradise Lane. I'll give directions from there." Duncan started the car and followed the directions Anna gave him. They chatted along the way about the area. Duncan informed her it was one of the oldest sections in the city. It had fallen into disrepair over the years, but in the last ten years a massive restoration had been taking place returning it to its former glory. They were obviously doing a wonderful job because these homes with their spacious yards were quite beautiful. As they turned onto Paradise Lane, the homes were even more isolated from each other. At last, they reached their destination. "Ever hear of Thaddeus Blake?" Anna asked as they pulled up to the house.  
"He was a Science Fiction writer who died recently. I've never read any of his books, but Richie was a fan. If I remember correctly, he lived here in the city." Duncan gave her a puzzled look. "This is his house? What are we doing here?"  
"Let's go inside and I'll explain it to you," Anna replied as she got out of the car and headed towards the house with Duncan in tow. Anna opened the door, switched on the light and they stepped inside. "As you already know by now, I know Kevin Corrigan. I first met him several years ago, only he was going by the name of Michael Lansing then. Kitchen's this way. He had always loved playing mind games with me, so I knew that was exactly what he was...or is doing now. I just had to go back to the warehouse to look for a clue which I knew he had left me." As they entered the kitchen, Duncan placed the food on the table while Anna went to get plates and silverware for them.  
"You should have waited for me. Corrigan's a very dangerous person, one not to be taken lightly."  
Anna exploded with rage. "I know exactly how dangerous a person he is, Duncan, and what he is capable of. And I can take care of myself, whether you believe it or not." Anna slammed the drawer shut and stood silently for a moment. Duncan walked over to her to comfort her, but she shook him off, turning away to compose herself before she continued. "I think we better sit down and eat before it gets cold," she said, still a little miffed. She carried the plates over to the table, sat down, opened the containers and filled her plate. Duncan joined her. Having calmed down, she continued. "As I was saying, I knew he was playing a game. I've played them with him before, so I'm quite aware of his tactics. He wanted me to come after him first. Alone. I was in no danger from him at anytime as he was just setting the stage. He left me clues and they led me to this house. When I arrived here this afternoon, I was amazed. It is almost an exact duplicate of my house in LA. But that isn't all I discovered." Anna grinned at him and continued to eat.  
"Okay, you've piqued my curiosity. What did you find?"  
"A secret passage to some sort of lab. It contains computers full of interesting information. Read several of the files. I'll show it to you when were finished."  
"I can't wait," was the dry response. Then it was Duncan's turn to grin. Anna smiled back.  
  



	11. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
  
Anna sat down before the computer console and switched on the monitors. She turned around to face Duncan who was sitting in the chair next to her. "Now most people would think that what I'm about to tell you is too far fetched to be believed, but I have a feeling that you won't. Turning back to the console, she brought up a file entitled _The World of Malachi Mitchell_. "According to this file, Thaddeus Blake was really a scientist by the name of Dr. Malachi Mitchell."  
"A scientist?" Duncan asked incredulously. "Then how did he end up a science fiction writer?"  
"He explains all that here. As Dr. Mitchell, he was working for his government on a research project. During this time, he was secretly doing research on a theory of his own....that in our universe, there are multi- dimensions. Some dimensions are very similar, while in others there are noticeable, even enormous differences. And in each of these dimensions, you will find the physical existence of various human counterparts."  
"Really," Duncan said with disbelief in his voice. "Sounds like one of his stories to me."  
"Then how do you explain this?" Anna asked as she entered a couple of commands in the computer. In a matter of seconds, images began to appear on the screens....images of Anna. Anna pointed to one of the women who was sitting in a padded room wearing a hospital gown. It was evident she had been sedated. "That, Duncan MacLeod, is Margaret Grey."  
Duncan looked at the screen and thought a minute. "It's obviously a tape of Margaret when she was in the hospital months back."  
"Well, if that's true, then explain to me why Thaddeus Blake would have a tape of it and how it came into his possession?" she asked as she spun around to face him.  
"Not knowing Blake, I couldn't say, but there has to be a reason."  
"There is and I just told you. These are my counterparts. And apparently, Margaret and I have switched dimensions. Malachi explains it all here in this file. It really is quite an interesting story," Anna said as she began relating the tale.  
  
Malachi's World - 32 years ago  
  
Malachi sat in his study looking over papers he had brought home with him regarding the project he had recently been assigned, a project that would hopefully save his people. Although his race was highly intelligent, Malachi was a veritable genius among them. Since the age of six, he had been groomed for a life in scientific endeavors, which left very little time for a social life. Lately, he had been working on remedying that situation as he was lonely and longed to have a female companion in his life. He knew he was not a handsome man, but he wasn't your typical scientific geek either. Just under six feet tall and slightly stocky, he had curly brown hair and deep set brown eyes with bushy eyebrows. He had recently traded in his glasses for contact lenses. He had also recently purchased a weight machine to tone up and lose some of his weight. Unfortunately, it looked like this endeavor would have to be put on hold as Project Andrew was of the utmost importance to the survival of his people.  
The war was not going well for his people. In the battle of Brawn vs Brains, they were losing. It seemed their intelligence alone could not save them, so they decided to create a race of males that would be a combination of both intelligence and strength. The first born would be named Andrew after their greatest leader, Andrew Morgan Jones. They were finally nearing the end of their quest.  
The project involved taking various genes from different men to create the perfect child and Malachi had been brought in to be one of the fathers. The woman chosen to be the mother was named Lynette Quinlan, whom he would meet tomorrow. She would be artificially inseminated next week. After the child was born, he would be taken away for special training. This was the only part of the project Malachi didn't like, even though he knew this training was for the good of all. Having been an orphan, he grew up without the love and support of a mother and a father, always dreaming of having a family of his own. He did not want his son to go through this same ordeal. More than that, he didn't like the idea that he would have no part in his son's life.  
Oh, he knew he could have other children later, hopefully boys. Not that he had anything against girls. He would love to have a daughter more than anything in the world. It was just that, in his world, females existed for only one purpose....to be subservient to men, seeing to their every whim and pleasure. If he had a daughter, he would want more for her. Unfortunately, the female population was incapable of rising above this aspect of their nature as it was part of their genetic makeup. And the male population was quite satisfied with this fact of nature and didn't want it to change. They especially liked the fact that if a woman ingested any amount of alcohol, she became extremely amorous.  
Eventually, Malachi put his papers away and headed for bed. It had been a long day and he needed to be at his best for tomorrow. What he didn't know was that it would turn out to be one of the most important days of his life.  
  
Malachi arrived in the conference room shortly before 10am. Most of the other scientists were already there discussing the project. He could feel the excitement in the air. At 10am, the project director called the meeting to order, then gave a brief synopsis of the work to date. This was followed by an introduction and congratulatory remarks for each member of the team. It was then time to introduce the mother-to-be. From the moment Malachi saw her walk onto the platform, it was love at first sight. She was beautiful. Standing just over five feet tall, she had long, dark auburn hair, emerald green eyes, a little turned-up nose and a smile that lit up the room. Malachi could not take his eyes off of her.  
The director continued with the meeting by outlining the agenda for the upcoming weeks. He explained what to expect and what the ultimate goals were for each phase of the operation. Malachi was only half- listening to this as his attention was focused on Lynette, on her every movement, her every facial expression. He thought about the luncheon scheduled after the meeting and decided he would make sure he met Lynette so he could get to know her better.  
Eventually, the meeting adjourned and the group headed for the conservatory. Tables had been set up in there for the luncheon. As the scientists milled about, Malachi tried to make his way towards Lynette and an introduction. However, it was not to be. Several of the scientists stopped him to discuss his current work on the project. Just as they finished their conversation, it was time to sit down for the meal. He tried to concentrate on the topics being discussed at his table, but it was hard with thoughts of Lynette occupying his mind. He was hoping for another chance after lunch to meet her. Unfortunately for Malachi, just before desert, the director announced that Lynette was leaving as she had another engagement to attend. She arose from her table, smiled, and left the room. Although he was disappointed, he knew he would eventually get his chance. Tomorrow was always another day.  
  
It would be several days before Malachi got the chance to meet the girl of his dreams. He was working in the lab when she entered with the director. He had brought her to meet the individual members of the "father- to-be" team. She was even more beautiful than the first time he saw her. When the director introduced her to Malachi, he was at a loss for words. Lynette smiled coyly at him and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mitchell. I'm looking forward to working with you on this project."  
Malachi finally found his voice. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you, Miss Quinlan," he said with a big grin on his face. He was in heaven. However, the director was not amused by this little tête-à-tête. This project was too important to be disrupted by a lovesick scientist. He would have to put an end to this immediately. He asked Malachi to come to his office in an hour, then quickly escorted Lynette out of the lab. Malachi knew in his heart what the director was going to say to him and he wasn't very happy about it. He turned back to his work, but found it was hard to concentrate on the task in front of him.  
An hour later, Malachi reported to the director's office and was promptly escorted in. "Malachi," the director began, "I'm sure you realize just how important this project is. Our very existence depends on it. We can't risk jeopardizing it in anyway. You do know what I'm referring to, don't you?"  
Malachi nodded. "Yes, I know," he said dejectedly. _I'm about to be kicked off the team because I'm in love with Lynette.  
_ "Normally, I would remove a person I felt might disrupt the project; however, your intelligence and knowledge are too important to it at this point in time, so I'm going to keep you on the team. But I warn you, if I find your conduct inappropriate or feel you are not living up to the goals set forth in this crucial endeavor, you will be dismissed. Do I make myself clear?"  
Malachi nodded again, concealing his joy at not being denied the pleasure of seeing Lynette. "I promise I won't let you down."  
"Good. You may return to your work."  
"Thank you," Malachi said and promptly left the room. Once outside, he sighed and silently thanked the powers that be for allowing him to remain on the team. 


	12. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
The following week, Lynette returned once more to the lab and was artificially inseminated. She was given an apartment near the laboratory so they could monitor the development of the fetus. Malachi was elated, but kept his feelings to himself. He gave the appearance of a scientist who was devoted solely to the project. But when no one else was looking, he and Lynette exchanged glances full of love and desire.  
The days flew by and Lynette felt the baby grow within her. She was beginning to love the little life inside and was wondering just how she was going to cope with having to give it up at birth. It would be very hard. At one point, she was able to sneak away and meet up with Malachi. She spoke to him about her growing apprehensions regarding the birth of the baby. He told her he felt the same way, but they were going to have to make the sacrifice if they wanted to survive. He told her that when their part in the project was completed, he wanted to marry her, settle down, and have a family of their own. Lynette agreed. They parted company happy in the knowledge that they would one day share a life together.  
A week after their rendezvous, Lynette entered the lab so they could perform routine tests to check on the progress of the baby. When the results of the tests came back, all hell broke loose. It seems that one of the tests revealed the sex of the baby. Somehow an error had occurred during the development of the semen used to impregnate Lynette. The child was not a boy, but a girl. The director immediately called a staff meeting.  
"_A **girl**_!" the director exclaimed. "How can this be?" No one had an answer. They were all at a loss as to how this could have happened. "This is awful. Weeks of research down the drain. Well, there is only one solution. The pregnancy will have to be terminated and we go back to square one."  
Upon hearing this, Malachi was stunned. _Terminate the pregnancy. But that's my baby. My child. My daughter. I can't let this happen. I just can't._ Malachi excused himself from the room saying he had left some notes vital to this discussions back at the lab. His colleagues continued their discussions on the steps they will need to take to rectify the situation.  
Malachi went straight to Lynette and told her the director planned to abort the fetus. Lynette did not take the news well. "No, they can't do that," she said, on the verge of tears. "This is my baby. Our baby, Malachi. Don't let them do this. Don't."  
"I won't, my sweet Lynette," he replied as he held her close. "No one is going to hurt our child. I won't let them, I promise. I have a plan. Quickly collect a few things and come with me. I'll take us where no one will be able to find us." He kissed her gently on the forehead, then looked in her eyes reassuringly as he brushed the hair back from her face. Lynette gathered up a few belongings, then took Malachi's hand. He led his love down a secret passage which opened to the outside. They got in Malachi's car and drove to his house, so he could collect a few important belongings himself. Then the two fugitives were on the road to safety.  
  
Malachi's first stop was at a storage facility where they exchanged his car for one which belonged to a childhood friend of his who had been killed in a battle over six months ago. He hoped this ploy would help make it difficult for his colleagues to track them. The next stop was the justice of the peace where they were married. Then they headed to the mountains where Malachi owned a cabin under the name of Nathan Grant. It was here he conducted his own research with regards to his multi- dimensional theory. No one knew about this place, so they would be safe for awhile anyway.  
Months went by and the child grew within Lynette. Unfortunately, the pregnancy seemed to take a lot out of her, draining her, sapping her strength. To see his beautiful Lynnie grow weaker, paler each day was almost more than he could bear. Malachi worried about her constantly, waited on her hand and foot. She slept most of the day, so Malki, as she affectionately called him, used this time to continue his research in his lab. He hoped to have it completed by the time the baby came. Then he could definitely make sure that he and his family were totally safe from those who wished to do it harm.  
The day finally arrived when Lynette went into labor. Malachi sat there holding her hand wishing he could take away her pain. After eight hours, Lynette finally gave birth to their baby girl. She smiled at her baby and then at Malachi. "She's beautiful. She's so perfect. I want to call her Emily after my mother," she said weakly.  
"Emily. That's a beautiful name. Emily her name shall be," he replied, gently kissing his beautiful wife.  
"Malki," Lynette said, very tired yet sad, "please tell Emily how much I loved her and how much I wanted to be there to watch her grow up."  
"What are you talking about?" he asked, terribly frightened. "You're going to be fine. You just need to rest."  
"No, I'm not," she whispered, barely able to speak. "The pregnancy and birth were too much for my body to handle. I'm sorry, Malki, but...." Her voice trailed off. She closed her eyes and was gone.  
"No," he whispered. "No." He buried his head in her chest and began to cry softly. A few moments later, Emily began to wail. He looked up at his new daughter. _How much she looks like her mother he thought. As long as she's alive, my Lynnie lives as well._ He picked Emily up and rocked her gently until she quieted. He laid her in her crib, then walked over to the bed to cover Lynette's body with a blanket. He had no more completed that unpleasant task when a warning alarm went off. Someone had crossed the boundary line onto his property. Checking the monitor, Malachi saw three SUVs driving up the road towards his home. The center had found him and would be here in less than an hour. He didn't have much time and had to act quickly.  
Malachi picked up Emily and carried her to his lab. Based on his research, he had built a portal to other dimensions. Sitting down at the keyboard, Malachi entered the pertinent data and, after a few minutes, received an answer. It wasn't the one he wanted, but his daughter's life, as well as his own, was at stake. He kissed his daughter goodbye and placed her into the portal chamber, then set the controls to the proper coordinates. With a push of a button, his daughter disappeared and, in her place, the body of another infant girl appeared, one who, unknown to her parents, had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Malachi pick up the body and placed it in his daughter's crib, then returned to the lab. He reset the controls, grabbed his portfolio filled with his research, and entered the portal chamber himself. In a few moments, he disappeared and another man, an unfortunate victim of a burglary gone bad, appeared at the portal's console. Five minutes later, the whole place exploded.  
  
Back to the present.  
  
"Because he had such little notice," Anna continued, still facing the immortal, "Malachi was forced to separate himself from his daughter in order save her. Emily ended up in one dimension, while he went to another. He had hoped to create another portal in order to join her, but unfortunately your dimension wasn't as technically advanced as the one he came from. It was almost twenty-five years before he was able to build another one. He wrote that he had hoped to join his daughter, but unfortunately something went wrong and he was unable to do so. It was me, Duncan, that he wanted to find. I'm Emily, the little baby who was the product of genetic engineering, which sure explains a lot of things about me that I've wondered about for years."  
"That's quite an interesting tale. A pretty good piece of science fiction. Probably even best seller material."  
"You don't believe it?" she asked.  
"Well, you have to admit it does sound a little far-fetched."  
"And a race of immortals is quite believable?" She smiled at the look on Duncan's face. He grabbed her wrist. "What are you looking for?" she asked.  
"A tattoo," was the reply.  
"Sorry, don't have one."  
"Then how do you know about immortals?"  
"Well, to be honest, I didn't at first. I was too caught up in trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't until you introduced to me Adam Pierson. I wondered why you had lied about his name. It was then I looked into his eyes and I knew."  
"I lied about his name? What are you talking about?" he asked, astounded by what she was telling him. "And just what do you know about Adam?"  
"You see, I have a great many talents, one of which is being able to tell when someone is lying to me just by the sound of their voice. The other is....well, you know the old saying 'The eyes are the mirror to the soul.' It's about the same thing. I can look into your eyes and know exactly how old you are, what injuries you have suffered, what you are feeling...basically, I know just about everything about you. So when I looked into Methos' eyes, I knew he was immortal and that he was 5,942 years old."  
Duncan stared at her totally flabbergasted as more questions formed in his mind. "Wait a minute," he finally managed to say. "He's 5,942? Are you sure? And just how do you know his real name?"  
"I told you I can look in someone's eyes and know exactly how many days they've lived on this planet. All that was left was to do the math. And by my calculations, he'll be 5,943 on October 31."  
The Scot was amazed. "His birthday is Halloween? That figures. I'm sorry. Please continue."  
"Okay. As for his name, it's another one of my talents. I have _**extremely**_ good hearing, so I heard you say it when I was sitting on the sofa."  
"You heard that? Did you hear everything we said?" he asked. Anna nodded. "Even at Joe's"  
"Yep, even at Joe's." Duncan wasn't sure what to say, what to make of what she was telling him. He sat there quietly, pondering this information. After several minutes, Anna asked, "Duncan, are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm just not sure what to make of all this," he said quietly. "It's rather amazing that you're capable of all those things."  
"You've got to remember, Duncan, that I _**was**_ genetically engineered to be this way. Those scientists were trying to create a sort of super_**man**_ -- the ultimate warrior -- in order to save their race, but they got me instead." Turning away from Duncan, Anna paused for a moment before she continued, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "You know, all my life I've wondered why I was this way, why I was so different from everybody else. It was really very lonely, because there was nobody else like me so nobody, and I mean nobody, could understand just what it was like to be me. Plus, I think that most people were frightened by what I could do, by what I knew. I graduated law school when I was nine years old. I have degrees in just about everything. The summer before I entered medical school was spent learning every language known to man throughout history. Why? Because I was bored. Don't get me wrong. Most of the time I'm really happy that I have all these gifts, because I can do so much to help people." She paused again, a far away look in her eyes. "But there are times when I wish that I was just like everyone else." She turned and looked Duncan in the eyes. "You do understand what I'm saying, don't you?"  
"Yes, I understand perfectly," he said tenderly. Leaning forward, he brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her gently on the lips.  
  



	13. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
"So, out there somewhere are guys just like me?" Richie asked. Duncan and Anna had returned to the loft a little more than an hour ago. One phone call brought Joe, Methos, and Richie there in no time. Anna and Joe sat in the high back chairs. Methos, who had grabbed a beer, sprawled over most of the sofa, but Richie managed to claim one end of it. Duncan either paced the room or leaned against the desk.  
"Maybe one or two," Anna responded. "Most of them just look like you. They have entirely different lives from you, different personalities. Take Duncan, for instance. In one of the dimensions, he's a male stripper named Christophe." The reaction she got to that statement was priceless. Methos spewed the swig of beer he'd just taken, then joined Joe and Richie in a thunderous round of laughter. Richie even added a few catcalls. But the Scot's reaction was the crème de la crème. He was flabbergasted. Totally, unequivocally flabbergasted. He sputtered and stammered until he finally managed to say "I'm a what?" Which, of course, resulted in another round of laughter from the others in the room. "I'm glad you find this all so amusing." a miffed Duncan said to them.  
Anna, wiping away the tears from her eyes and trying very hard to suppress her laughter, finally managed to say, "Not you, Duncan. Christophe. He's no more you than Methos is Priscilla, the drag queen." Duncan looked at Methos a second before he began to chuckle, joined by Richie and Joe. Methos just groaned.  
Methos asked, "So out of curiosity, if in another world Duncan's a stripper and I'm a drag queen, what are Joe and Richie?"  
"Well, Joe's a pimp and Richie is one of his 'stable' boys," she responded with a grin.  
"I'm a male PROSTITUTE! Oh man."  
"And a very popular one I might add," Anna told him.  
"Hey, you should take comfort that at least somewhere else you're getting some action," Methos teased. Now it was Richie's turn to groan.  
"I hate to break this conversation up," Duncan said to them, "but I think it's time we move on to other matters, like Corrigan." The group looked at Anna, who sat back in her chair, her eyes downcast. Duncan walked over and knelt before her. "Anna, I think it's time you told us the truth. You told me he was playing some sort of game with you. What kind of game and why?" he asked gently.  
"I don't know if I can," she replied, struggling to keep her composure. "What he did...it's too painful to think about. You don't realize just how evil, how vile he can be."  
"I think I can. Anna, Corrigan is an immortal. I met him a little more than 60 years ago. He preyed on college students. The newspapers dubbed him the Crucifix Killer as he always placed a crucifix in the victim's hands after he slit their throats. At the time, I was dating a young woman who had found one of his victims, and later I encountered him in an alley with his latest kill. Unfortunate circumstances allowed him to get away, which is something I regret to this day. So you see, I do know how evil he is."  
"No, Duncan. No you don't. You haven't a clue," she told him, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at all of them. "None of you do." She wiped the tears from her eyes, got up and walked over to the window. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall hoping Duncan wouldn't press her any further about the matter, but she knew he would.  
Duncan followed her and put his arms around her, drawing her to him. He felt her trembling, so he held her tight. "I'm sorry, Anna, but we need to stop him before he kills anyone else." He released her from his arms and, turning her to face him, gently raised her chin so she was looking directly at him. "And he will. You know that. So we need to know what you know. I know it hurts, but I'm here....we're all here for you." He led her to the sofa and sat down beside her. Richie had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water which he handed to Duncan before taking Anna's vacated seat. Methos, no longer sprawled on the sofa, was instead sitting at the other end, concern clearly showing on his face for the beautiful lass. "Here, drink this," the Scot said, holding the glass to her lips. Anna drank the water, then leaned back. She looked at Duncan, then Joe, Richie, and Methos. The worried looks on their faces clearly showed her how much they cared.  
"I'll be alright, guys. Just give me a few moments. It's not easy talking about it, but you are right, Duncan. He will kill again if we don't stop him."  
Methos spoke up. "It's alright, Anna. Just take your time. I do know a little something about evil men and just how devastating their actions can be to the ones left behind. One does learn something when you've been around as long as I have," he said with a little grin on his face. He had been pleased earlier to find out just how old he was, although he wasn't quite sure he liked the part about his birth date.  
Anna took a deep breath. "So you want to know everything I know about Corrigan. All I ask is that you don't interrupt me. Okay?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Okay then. As I told you, Duncan, I met Corrigan several years ago. From what I gathered from reading the files at my father's house, this whole thing started after my father had been in a car accident. It had been severe enough that my father required a caretaker during his recovery. Corrigan got the job. Apparently, he somehow managed to stumble upon my father's research, and thus, me. Seems it was love at first sight on his part and he believed we were destined to be together. So he decided to switch places with his counterpart who, as luck would have it, just happened to be my assistant, Michael Lansing. What he didn't realize was I couldn't stand the sight of Michael. Couldn't stand being in the same room with him. I avoided him like the plague. Not only was the man an arrogant, pompous boor, he really wasn't much of an assistant. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about that as he has been assigned to me by the 'Powers That Be.'  
"So Corrigan switched places with Michael in the hopes of sweeping me off my feet, but instead is met with hostile resistance. I guess he decided to make me pay for rejecting him, and consequently began his sick little game. He knew about CRADLE and how much the children meant to me. He considered that to be my weakness and targeted them." Anna looked to see the reactions on their faces to her statement, which was basically a mixture of disbelief and horror. Except for Methos. _He really must know about evil men._ She continued, her voice apathetic. Because of the work she did, she learned to distance herself from the horror and tragedy she encountered. She decided it would be a good idea to utilize that little trick now. "Duncan, you said Corrigan only slashed the throats of those college students. Well, that's nothing compared to what he did to these children. There were six of them in all. David. Patrick. Amy. Jean Marie. And Levar. He butchered them all and left their bodies for me to find." Anna paused as the memories flooded back. She shook her head as if to shake them away.  
"Anna," Richie said.  
"Richie, she asked us not to interrupt," Duncan admonished him.  
"Yeah, I know, but she said there were six kids killed, but she only named five," he replied.  
"Her name was Katie. Caitlin Rose McGowan. She was my daughter." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "She was riding her bike when he ran her down," she sobbed.  
"I'm so sorry, Anna," Duncan said as he pulled her close and rocked her as she cried.  
"I think we better leave," Joe suggested.  
"I think you're right," Methos said. "Come on, Richie." With that, the three men left. Duncan continued to hold Anna until she cried herself to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Anna awakened feeling better than she had in a long time. While Duncan fixed breakfast, she took a shower and changed clothes. When she emerged, she saw that Richie had joined them.  
"Morning, Richie. How ya doing?" she asked.  
"Good morning. Well you're certainly in a good mood," he said to her.  
"Why wouldn't I be?" she responded, sitting down at the counter. "This looks good, Duncan. Can't believe how hungry I am." Anna took a bite of food. "Oh, this is good. You're a wonderful cook."  
The Scot smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. Nice to know someone appreciates my cooking," he says, giving Richie a look.  
"Hey, I appreciate it," the kid replied defensively.  
"Nice to know, Rich. Anyway Anna, Joe and Methos will be over later."  
"Good. I can finish my tale then." Noticing the look on Duncan's face, she added, "Relax. I'll be fine. The hard part is over with."  
"Well, if you're sure." Anna nodded. "Alright. Richie and I are going to head downstairs. Just make yourself at home and we'll be back up later. Okay?"  
"Fine. Go and tend to your business. Shoo. Shoo." Looking at Richie, "Is he always like this?"  
"Worse." His response earned a dirty look from the Scot. Richie just grinned.  
"Come on, Richie, let's go." With that, the two men left the loft leaving Anna to finish her breakfast in peace.  
  



	14. Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: See Acknowledgements page  
  
CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
A couple of hours later, Duncan and Richie returned to the loft with Joe in tow finding Anna engrossed in a book. Duncan excused himself to take a shower as he had been working out. A short time later, Methos arrived. "Hello, everyone," he said as he headed for the frig to pilfer a beer. "Where's MacLeod?"  
"Shower," Joe replied. As if by cue, Duncan emerged from the bathroom, toweling his hair dry.  
"MacLeod. Hope you don't mind?" the oldest immortal said, referring to the beer he was holding.  
"Does it matter?" was the dry reply. Methos just smiled. "So Anna, are you ready to finish your story?" Duncan asked.  
Anna shut the book she was reading and put it aside. "Well, there's really not much more to tell. After Katie's death, I was pretty much a basket case, which suited my employers and Corrigan just fine. They were able to convince me that my friends and family were in danger from this psychopath. In my state of mind, I believed them, and did so for a long time. So, in order to protect those dear to me, I cut myself off from all of them and threw myself into my work. And whenever I started to re- establish contact with anyone, Corrigan would send me a "memento" to remind me of what happen to my kids, so I would go back to burying myself in my work. Then about 18 months ago, there was an accident and I was told _Michael_ was dead, which was true." Everyone looked at her curiously. She smiled. "Guess I should explain, huh?"  
"As I told you before, Corrigan went to work for my father, stumbled upon his research, then switched places with Michael. My father discovered what Corrigan had done, but because of his accident, it was sometime before he could correct it. He was forced to watch the misery that Corrigan was inflicting on me, which only strengthened his resolve to recover and save me. But he also knew that once he brought Corrigan back, he would just try to return to my dimension. So when Malachi was well enough, he moved here to Seacouver, then made improvements on the portal which would make it possible for him to transport Corrigan to a location of his choice. It was eighteen months ago that my father made the switch and, within a few hours, Michael was killed in a car accident which made it impossible for Corrigan to return to my dimension. She stopped and looked at the others. "Well, you can guess what happened next. Since Corrigan couldn't get back to my world, he brought me to his. He wants to keep making me pay for rejecting him. That's about it."  
The group sat in silence for a few moments before Richie finally spoke. "That is some tale, Anna. Almost like one of Thaddeus Blake's novels."  
"Well, it's not," she replied defensively.  
"Whoa. I believe you." Richie said, then chuckling, added, "You should have been there when Mac explained being immortal to me." Anna grinned.  
"So what's our next move?" Joe asked. They all looked at Anna.  
"I think that's going to be up to Corrigan," she told them. "He's playing some kind of game here, planning everything very carefully. He'll contact me soon. Until then, we'll just have to wait. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll head up to the roof for some 'me' time."  
"I was going to make lunch for us," Duncan said.  
"I'll be back down in a little bit. I wouldn't dare miss your cooking," she said with a grin, then headed for the roof.  
  
A couple of hours later, Anna was once again heading for the rooftop. Having finished the meal Duncan had prepared, the group decided they would continue to just bide their time until Corrigan contacted Anna. Duncan and Richie headed back downstairs to the dojo, while Joe left to tend to his bar. Methos departed for parts unknown. Just as she was about half way up the staircase, the phone rang. After a few rings, the answering machine pick it up and she heard a familiar voice. "Hello, Anna. I know you're there. Just wanted to let you know I have a friend of yours with me. He's an old acquaintance of mine as well." A feeling of dread washed over Anna. _Duncan_. She quickly moved towards the phone. "If you want to see him alive again, I suggest you meet me at the warehouse in an hour. And come alone."  
Anna picked up the phone, "Corrigan," she shouted into the receiver.  
"See. I knew you were there."  
"You bastard, how do I know he's still alive, or that you'll even keep him alive until I get there?" she asked with pure contempt in her voice.  
"You have my word on it," was his response.  
Anna knew he was telling the truth and said she would be there in an hour. She hung up the phone and headed downstairs to the dojo. Richie was in the office working. "Richie, I need a set of wheels."  
"I don't think that's such a good idea. Duncan had to go out for awhile, but he should be back soon. Why don't you just wait for him?"  
"Can't. Corrigan just called to let me know he's taken Duncan hostage. He wants me to meet him at the warehouse in an hour."  
"I'll go with you."  
"No! He said for me to come alone and he means it. If he senses you, he'll take Duncan's head, then take off for who knows where. Don't worry Richie. I can more than handle him. He will lose. All I need is some wheels."  
"Take my bike," he told her, tossing her the keys.  
"Thanks. See you soon." Anna turned and headed out the door for the warehouse.  
  
Against Corrigan's instructions, Anna arrived at the warehouse earlier than requested to scope out the scene in order to get an edge on her enemy. Moving with the stealth of a cat, she crept around the building discovering that Corrigan had left a door ajar for her on the side. She wasn't that stupid. Using the rope she had procured on the way over, she scaled the building. Once on the roof, she pulled the rope up and headed for the skylight. From this vantage point, she could see Duncan towards the rear of the building. Corrigan had him trussed up with chains to some heavy metal pipes. There was blood on the front of his shirt indicating that Corrigan must have shot and "killed" him, which explained how he had gotten himself into that situation. Corrigan, himself, was seated with his back towards her, apparently carrying on a one-sided conversation with the Scot, as Duncan was gagged. She left the window and headed for the rooftop door. She descended a flight of metal stairs to the catwalk, silently crossing it until she was over her prey. Tying the rope off, she lowered herself to the ground behind Corrigan. "Hello, Kevin is it?"  
Corrigan rose from his chair and turned to meet her. "Hello Anna. It's been a while. My, you're looking good. I take it you've been going well?"  
"I was until I discovered you were still alive, but I plan to rectify that now."  
"Really? I don't think so." An evil smile crept across his face. "You really thought I didn't know you would come in this way?" He pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. From underneath the catwalk, a bucket of blood was released to rain down upon the auburn beauty. Covered in this sanguine fluid, Anna screamed, "Oh God. NO!" then twisting around, sank to the floor. Duncan watched in horror the scene that was playing out before him, wanting to run to her side and comfort her, but alas, was unable to do so. Corrigan, meanwhile, walked around to face her, laughing as he did so. He pulled out his sword and knelt before her. "And now my dear girl, I want you to watch as I take your dear Highlander's head." He reached over and cupped Anna's chin with his hand, raising her face to meet his, grinning all the while. What he saw startled him. It was not the face of someone defeated, but instead, one of anger, hatred and resolve.  
"I don't think so," she said vehemently and stabbed him in the heart. A look of total bewilderment washed over his face. "You really didn't think I was the same person you knew 18 months ago, now did you?" She stood up and grabbed his sword from him, as he knelt there gasping for life. "See you in hell, you son of a bitch." With that, she raised his sword and lopped off his head. Letting the sword fall to the floor, she staggered back and watched as a blue light began to emanate from his body in search of another immortal, which it found in the form of Duncan MacLeod. Swirling, it encircled the Scot. Then, out of nowhere, lightening appeared, first striking the chains which bound him, freeing him. Next, it began to repeatedly strike Duncan's body as he yelled, arms raised towards the heavens. After a few minutes, it all ceased and Duncan dropped to his knees. Anna rushed to his side. "Duncan, are you alright?" she asked tenderly.  
"Oh, just peachy," was his sarcastic response. "Sorry. Oh god that hurts." Anna helped him to his feet, letting him lean on her as they bound for the door. "You shouldn't have done it, Anna."  
"Done what?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.  
Duncan stopped and gave her his disapproving look. "You know what I'm talking about. You shouldn't have taken his head. That's part of _our_ game. It's what we do." he scolded.  
Anna, crossing her arms, stood her ground and responded angrily. "If you remember correctly, you were in no position to do that. I did what I had to do. It's not like I haven't taken a life before. I have." This revelation surprised him. "I've made other enemies besides Corrigan, people who want me dead. They even hired some of best hit men in the world to do the job. They were dumb enough to think that they could take me out. They were wrong." She turned and walked away from him.  
"Oh." was all he could say.  
  
The next morning, Anna stood in front of the console, making the proper adjustments for her journey home. She paused as she remembered the events of the night before. After they had returned to the loft and cleaned up, Duncan called Joe, letting him know what had happened. He told him they would be over later. They sat on the sofa talking for awhile, then went to dinner. They stopped at Joe's as promised and he played a number just for her. Upon leaving the bar, they returned to the loft, where one thing lead to another, and they made love. Beautiful, passionate love. It was one of the most memorable nights she had ever had. She hated for it to end, but end it did. And now it was time for her to return to her dimension.  
"Anna, is everything alright?" Duncan asked.  
"Yeah, everything's fine. Just kinda of wishing I didn't have to go."  
"I wish you didn't have to go either."  
"No chance of that. I don't belong here any more than Margaret belongs in my world. As much as I would love to stay, she has a husband who misses her and she must miss him. I can't do that to them."  
"I know," Duncan brushed the hair back from Anna's face, then kissed her and held her tight. "But I don't have to like it." Anna smiled, then pulled away from him.  
"Well, I better finish making these adjustments. I've made some modifications to the portal which will enable us to switch us back to a time before this all happened. Margaret will have no memory of the last couple of days."  
"And you?"  
"Don't worry, Duncan. I won't forget you. I could never forget you." She kissed him, then turned back to her work. "There. Done." She looked at Duncan again. "I guess it's time for me to go," she said as she stroked his face with the back of her hand. "I am going to miss you, you know that don't you?"  
"As much as I'm going to miss you." He held her tight again for several minutes before letting her go.  
"Okay, this is what you need to do. First press this button, then this one. Count ten and flip this switch. And remember, after the transfer is made, destroy the machine. We can't risk it falling into the wrong hands again."  
"Right. Goodbye, Anna."  
"Bye, Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod." They kissed one last time, then Anna stepped into the portal. Duncan followed her instructions and, a few moments later, she was gone.  
  



	15. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **See Acknowledgements page

EPILOGUE

A week later, Anna was standing on the terrace of a friend's home back in LA. When she had returned for the closing of her house, her friends surprised her with a fund-raising party. As she stood there, looking out over the beautiful valley, she reflected on all the events of the past week, especially the ones including Duncan MacLeod. How her heart ached when she thought of him.

"Anna," her friend, Reg, called to her. She turned and smiled at him. Reg was one of the dearest people in her life right now, even though he did tend to be a pain in the ass sometimes. "I have someone I want you to meet." She gave him the 'Please don't be trying to fix me up' look. He just grinned. "Now Anna, I think you'll like him," he whispered. He led her over to the terrace doors where she found herself looking into the face of one Duncan MacLeod. _But it can't be Duncan. He's in Seacouver. This guy must be his counterpart._ The man with Duncan's face smiled sweetly at her. "Anna, this is Enrico Pazzoli. Enrico, this is Anna McGowan."

"Charmed to make your acquaintance," Enrico said with a charming Italian accent, kissing her hand. "Never before have I met such a beautiful woman.

Anna smiled back. "Thank you, Enrico. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance as well," she told him as linked her arm through his and allowed him to lead her back into the party.

FINIS

Village Mystic and anyone else who might be reading this: Just a few notes for you.

1) As far as the Methos age thing goes, I couldn't resist. So much was always made of the fact that no one knew his age, not even him, I just had to add it. As one of the late Flip Wilson's characters used to say, "The devil made me do it."

2) As this Epilogue shows, Anna's not in our dimension. If you don't know, Enrico was a character was from movie Adrian did called "Love Potion Number 9." It was one of Sandra Bullock's early movies.

3) The fight scene was written the way it was for several reasons: One is that, before Kevin showed up, Anna was a different person. What he did and what had happened to her as a result changed her into what you saw in the beginning of the story. This was a way for her to finally take back what he stole from her. Another is Duncan always saves the day...saves others. Anna, being the genetically engineered super-human she is, doesn't need anyone to come to her rescue and I thought it would be nice for a change that Duncan was the one being saved, much to his chagrin. And the third, laziness. I'd worked on this story for about a year and, after many rewrites, was just too tired and wanted the story over with. The original fight scene was supposed to be both Anna and Duncan taking him on, but I scrapped it and went with this. And actually I prefer it, basically because of the first two reasons I gave.

4) And last, I had contemplated writing other stories about Anna. In fact, the first draft of the Epilogue contained an extra scene where it was a cut back to the warehouse basement. Yep, in a huge wooden box was another dimensional travel portal for her to get sucked into some other world or worlds. I had also contemplated telling the story about what exactly happened with Kevin Corrigan, but it would be rather gruesome and violent, so I opted out. None of these stories came about because real life reared its ugly head and I just didn't have the time. I wanted to start writing again last year, but my left arm is all screwed up due to a problem with my neck. At times, writing for extended periods of time is difficult. So, at present, I don't know when and if I'll write again.


End file.
